Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Diplomatic Service: Neutrality

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department has issued recent guidance to British High Commissioners on their responsibility to not interfere in the domestic political affairs of the countries to which they are appointed.

David Rutley: British High Commissioners' sole aim is to support positive relations and UK interests. The UK does not interfere in the domestic political affairs of other nation states.

Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his policy to recognise Emirati sovereignty of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the legality of Iran’s military occupation of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb; and if he will raise that matter with his Gulf Cooperation Council partners.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his policy to assume responsibility for mediating Iran’s withdrawal from Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will publish (a) historic documents and (b) maps held by his Department that demonstrate that Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb fell under UK protection as part of the Trucial States up to 1971.

David Rutley: We are not conducting freedom of navigation operations around these islands. However, we keep operations in the Gulf under constant review. The UK supports the United Arab Emirates' call to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa - through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter.The UK is dedicated to defending freedom of navigation in the Gulf, which is crucial for the global trading system and world economy, with the deployment of HMS DIAMOND in support of our current footprint in the region. We are proud to be partnering with other members of the international community to uphold the rules based approach.

UNRWA: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on funding for UNRWA of the final report of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, published on 22 April 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.

Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will have discussions with the UN on steps that were taken to ensure (a) the independence of the processes for and (b) the accuracy of the findings of the Colonna report.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Layla Moran: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what estimate his Department has made of the value of assets and entities held in the UK by supporters and enablers of the Israeli settler movement.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO has not made such an estimate.The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishes information on assets frozen in the UK within its Annual Review. This document is available from GOV.UK.The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence. On 3 May, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions on extremist groups and individuals for inciting and perpetrating settler violence in the West Bank. The measures impose financial restrictions on the entities and individuals, and travel restrictions on the individuals.

East Africa: Floods

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to flood affected areas in East Africa; and whether small farmers will be (a) consulted and (b) involved in both short and longer term responses.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Heavy rains continue to have a significant impact across East Africa, with over 350,000 people displaced in Kenya and Tanzania, many of them rural farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted by flooding. The UK is working with humanitarian partners to respond to this latest phase of flooding, including through our contributions to the Start Fund which has allocated support to Tanzania. The UK is also developing long term assistance for community recovery, including working with small farmers, through new and existing partnerships. In Kenya in response to previous to El Niño-related flooding the UK allocated £3.7 million in emergency support.

Rwanda: Asylum

Neil Coyle: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Government's policy on deporting migrants to Rwanda; and whether any international counterparts have raised concerns about that policy.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO Ministers and officials engage regularly with other governments and international organisations on a range of issues, including illegal migration. The recent passing of the Safety of Rwanda Act is an important step forward in the UK's innovative efforts to tackle illegal migration. As such, the policy has received widespread international attention. A number of other countries are also exploring similar models of relocating migrants to safe third countries to process their asylum claims. As the UK courts have confirmed, this approach is compliant with the UK's obligations under international law.

Middle East: Conflict Prevention

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK's strategic, long-term approach to supporting security in the Middle East.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security as well as the security of all our regional partners and we are still working with our allies to deescalate the situation.

BBC World Service

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has (a) made an assessment of the adequacy of resources available to the BBC World Service in advance of the next Spending Review and (b) had recent discussions with the BBC on the potential impact of its resourcing decisions on the UK's soft power.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The World Service is two-thirds funded by the Licence Fee, with the remainder provided by government. The FCDO is providing £283 million to the World Service over the current Spending Review (SR) period, plus an exceptional uplift of £20 million as part of the Integrated Review Refresh (2023). Government funding for the World Service after 2024-25 will be determined as part of the next SR. The BBC is operationally independent and therefore responsible for setting its own budgets.The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC at all levels. The Foreign Secretary meets the BBC Chair annually to discuss World Service performance and progress towards targets. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-02-01/HLWS232]

Russia: Sanctions

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he has taken to prevent the transit of items in circumvention of UK sanctions (a) to and (b) from (i) Russia and (ii) Belarus via third countries.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Along with the EU, US and Japan, the UK has published a list of 50 sensitive technologies and other items Russia is most actively seeking to procure via third countries. Working closely with G7 partners, we have stepped up our engagement with third countries to address circumvention risks, including sending joint delegations to the UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Armenia, to highlight risks and offer technical support. HMG is also setting up the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, which will boost the enforcement and implementation of UK trade sanctions.

Christianity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the safety of Christian (a) clergy and (b) communities (i) in Kachin, Myanmar and (ii) around the world.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, including the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith.We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. We are committed to supporting ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in international fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April.

Christianity

Ruth Jones: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the safety of Christian (a) clergy and (b) communities (i) in Kachin, Myanmar and (ii) around the world.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, including the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith.We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. We are committed to supporting ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in international fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April.

Russia: Freezing of Assets

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the resolution of the House of 27 June 2023 on Repurposing Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential implications for his policies of that resolution; and whether the plans to bring forward such legislation.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We continue to work closely with allies to explore all lawful routes by which immobilised Russian sovereign assets can be used to support Ukraine consistent with our respective legal systems and international law. G7 Leaders reaffirmed this on 24 February, instructing relevant ministries to continue their work to that end and report back ahead of the G7 Summit in June. We will keep the House updated on significant developments, as appropriate.

China: Taiwan

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of gold purchased by the Chinese government on the risk of a conflict in Taiwan.

David Rutley: We do not comment on speculation. More generally, our position on the Taiwan Strait has not changed - the UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

Ukraine: International Assistance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps to increase third-party (a) monitoring and (b) auditing of UK (i) aid and (ii) financial guarantees to Ukraine.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Since Russia's full-scale invasion, the FCDO has extensively used third party monitoring in Ukraine to deliver seven rounds of monitoring, using in-person field-visits and remote phone-surveys for its ODA programming. For loan guarantees, the FCDO uses its Contingent Liability Risk Management Framework to actively monitor and assess risks across its guarantee portfolio, which is regularly reviewed, including drawing from external audits. Going forward, FCDO has plans to expand third party monitoring and other assurance processes in Ukraine, which will be covered in the department's response to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact's rapid review of UK aid to Ukraine.

European Political Community: Conferences

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he plans to publish the agenda for the European Political Community meeting to be hosted by the UK on 18 July 2024; and whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Hungary on its priorities for the meeting that it will host on 7 November 2024.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The agenda for the Summit will be set out in due course. The UK-hosted meeting will come at an important moment in efforts to galvanise support for Ukraine. It will also focus on how to work together to grapple with the common challenge of illegal migration across the continent, as well as other issues of shared concern. We are consulting with all European Political Community partners including Hungary as the next hosts.

Department of Health and Social Care

Elysium Healthcare: Contracts

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with Elysium Healthcare on continuing its contract following the inquest into the death of Liam McGenity.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve staff retention on the New Hospitals Programme.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce vacancies on the New Hospitals Programme.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Accident and Emergency Departments and Ambulance Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times in ambulance and emergency departments in Yorkshire.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Streptococcus: Babies

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of making Group B Strep a notifiable disease on the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of this infection in newborns.

Maria Caulfield: Notifiable diseases, listed under schedule 1 of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, are kept under review by the Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The Government published a public consultation between 12 July and 15 November 2023, seeking views on proposed amendments to the regulations, including adding diseases to schedule 1 to make them notifiable.Adding Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Infection to schedule 1 was not included in the consultation proposals, but a small number of respondents suggested it could be suitable for inclusion. A summary of responses to the consultation has been published. The Department and the UKHSA are considering the consultation responses, and confirmation of any changes to the regulations will be published in due course.To increase awareness and understanding of GBS, NHS England published a revised Core Competency Framework in May 2023, which covers the mandated training for all maternity services, which now includes GBS. Undertaking this training will enable midwives and doctors to be better informed when speaking to families about the risk of GBS in labour. The Core Competency Framework is incentivised through the maternity incentive scheme administrated by NHS Resolution.

Streptococcus: Disease Control

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what systems her Department has in place to (a) track and (b) report cases of Group B Strep infection; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of making Group B Strep a notifiable disease on those systems.

Maria Caulfield: National surveillance systems, established and managed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), are used to monitor trends, characteristics, and outcomes of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection, vital to prevention efforts. These include the reporting of cases diagnosed in local microbiology laboratories, and the submission of clinical isolates to the national reference laboratory. Analyses based on this surveillance is published in annual reports.The UKHSA has jointly co-ordinated periods of enhanced surveillance with academic and public health collaborators, allowing greater understanding of risk factors and outcomes of infection, vital in identifying opportunities for prevention. Data generated through laboratory surveillance is utilised to assess the impact of prevention efforts.The list of notifiable diseases is kept under review by the Department, with UKHSA involvement. Should GBS be added to the list of notifiable diseases, the means to assess the impact of this change on surveillance data will be considered.

Coronavirus: Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims related to Covid-19 vaccinations have been made through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: As of 26 April 2024, there have been 11,427 COVID-19 related claims made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Learning Disability: Health

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department takes to involve people with learning disabilities in the development and implementation of measures to reduce their health inequalities.

Maria Caulfield: We recognise the importance of involving people with a learning disability in policy development and implementation to support in reducing the health inequalities they experience. We aim to do this in a range of ways within the Department, some of which are set out below. Experts by experience are members of governance structures, such as the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice Board. This Board has supported the development of the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice. The Code will guide registered health and care providers to meet their statutory requirement to ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. The Code sets an expectation that training is co-produced and co-delivered by people with a learning disability and autistic people. The draft Code was publicly consulted on, including an easy read version to ensure accessibility. In developing the Building the Right Support (BtRS) Action Plan, published in July 2022, we sought expertise, advice and challenge from experts by experience. The Plan brings together actions across government and public services to strengthen community support and reduce overall reliance on specialist mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The BtRS Advisory Group was established to improve direct engagement with experts by experience. The Group developed an independent, co-produced report on ‘What Good Looks Like’ in terms of community services. The final report has a specific focus on actions that integrated care systems should take to ensure the best possible community support for people with a learning disability and autistic people. Additionally, the Department jointly manages the Health and Wellbeing Alliance which is a partnership between representatives in the health and care system and sector. This enables the sector, including people with a learning disability, to share their expertise at a national level with the aim of improving services and policy development. Integrated care boards are now expected to have an Executive Lead on learning disability and autism. As part of their role, the Executive Lead will support the Board in championing co-production of policies and service delivery and recognising the value of people’s lived experiences. NHS England has published guidance on this role, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/executive-lead-roles-within-integrated-care-boards/

Mothers: Exercise and Physiotherapy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing access to pelvic floor (a) training and (b) physiotherapy for everynewmother.

Maria Caulfield: Last October, NHS England published a national service specification for Perinatal Pelvic Health Services. The specification sets out the expected standards of care to improve the prevention, identification, and access to physiotherapy for pelvic health issues during pregnancy, and for at least one year following birth. Perinatal Pelvic Health Services will work with local Maternity and Physiotherapy services so that all women receive quality information about the risk of developing pelvic health problems before they have their baby, the key signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, and things they can do to help prevent these issues from developing, for instance performing pelvic floor exercises. The aim is to reduce the number of women living with pelvic health problems postnatally and in later life.The specification also states that Perinatal Pelvic Health Services will work with maternity services across England to implement the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries Care Bundle, to reduce rates of perineal tears resulting from labour and vaginal birth, and improve outcomes for women. This has been shown to reduce serious birth injuries by as much as 20%. Perinatal Pelvic Health Services are currently being rolled out across England.

National Learning Disability Board

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2024 to Question 23729 on the National Learning Disability Board, for what reason the National Learning Disability Board was disbanded in 2016.

Maria Caulfield: In 2016, following a reorganisation and re-prioritisation exercise within the Department, the decision was made to disband the National Learning Disability Board and integrate its objectives into wider programmes and activities aimed at improving outcomes for this population. The Department keeps its governance structures under periodic review.

Coronavirus: Carers

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including carers in the eligibility criteria for the Spring 2024 Covid Vaccination Programme.

Maria Caulfield: The Government remains committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 7 February 2024, the JCVI published further advice on the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered in spring 2024 to those at greatest risk of serious disease, and who are therefore most likely to benefit from vaccination. Those eligible are: adults aged 75 years old and over; residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in chapter 14a of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book. The JCVI’s advice for spring 2024, including the approach to eligibility, is available via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-spring-2024-and-future-vaccination-programmes-jcvi-advice-4-december-2023/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-spring-2024-and-considerations-on-future-covid-19-vaccination-4-december-2023.The Government has accepted this advice, and the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme is now in progress. The spring programme is targeted to those at highest risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. Whilst carers as a group are therefore not recommended for vaccination in this programme, any carer who falls within one of the above cohorts will be eligible. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to take up the offer of spring COVID-19 vaccination.

Prostate Cancer: Research

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has allocated to prostate cancer research in the last 5 years.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is proud to invest £1.3 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was over £121.8 million for 2022/23, with more spent on cancer than any other disease group. In 2018, the Government announced £75 million towards clinical trials for prostate cancer, with a focus on improving early diagnosis, survival rates, and exploring options for different treatments for men affected by the disease. Since April 2019, the NIHR has awarded £79.1 million across 49 prostate cancer research programmes. Research includes randomised controlled trials of different treatments for prostate cancer, a randomised controlled trial of different methods of biopsy for suspected prostate cancer, and survivors' rehabilitation evaluation after cancer. On 19 November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK announced a £42 million screening trial to find ways of detecting the country’s most common male cancer earlier. Prostate Cancer UK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the Department. Additionally, the NIHR supported over 100 commercial and non-commercial clinical research studies in 2023/24, through the NIHR Research Delivery Network.

Ambulance Services: Databases

Sir David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timescale is for ambulance service data to be active on the Federated Data Platform for use by participating hospital trusts.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Federated Data Platform will securely bring together information from hospital health records, waiting lists, and theatre and staff rosters, to better manage patient care. There is no planned timescale for ambulance service data to be used by trusts participating in local instances of the NHS Federated Data Platform, although this may be possible in the future. The ambulance data will be used by NHS England to monitor ambulance activity, including response and handover times, to support improvement of patient safety and operational delivery. Trusts may have access to some ambulance service data through the dashboard, made available to authorised users via the national instance of the NHS Federated Data Platform. More information on this dashboard is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/privacy-notice/how-we-use-your-information/nhs-federated-data-platform-privacy-notice/fdp-products-and-product-privacy-notices/ambulance-data-services-ads-dashboard-fdp-product-privacy-notice/

Hospitals: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase (a) internal expertise and (b) capacity in the New Hospitals Programme in (i) technical design and (ii) programme delivery.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the roll out of the Government's Projects Academy for staff working on the New Hospitals Programme.

Andrew Stephenson: As is usual for major Government programmes, the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) is using both internal and external resources to ensure the right capabilities and specialist skills are in place to deliver the programme. The NHP is procuring its long-term delivery partner, which will provide flexible external expertise in technical design, commercial functions, programme delivery capabilities, and other areas. The NHP is developing a Knowledge and Skills Transfer (KST) Strategy to embed the self-sustaining knowledge and skills required to deliver the programme, ensuring that as the balance within the team changes, the appropriate transfers take place. The NHP continues to support its employees' development and regularly reviews the Learning and Development offer available across the programme, to support staff in the successful delivery of the programme. This includes supporting staff within the NHP, and Project Directors from NHS England trusts, to take advantage of the Government’s Project Academy by participating in the Project Leadership Programme and Major Projects Leadership Academy.

Stepping Hill Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 17965 on Stepping Hill Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the state of repair of buildings at Stepping Hill hospital on capacity in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not currently collect information on the impact of the condition of the National Health Service estate on capacity. However, we recognise the importance of modern healthcare estates in tackling hospital waiting lists. We are investing significant sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings, so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care for patients, including £4.2 billion this financial year for trusts to spend on necessary maintenance and repairs. This is on top of expected investment of over £20 billion in the New Hospital Programme, as well as £1.7 billion for over 70 hospital upgrades across England.

Fertility: Electronic Cigarettes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of vaping on fertility.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government has not yet assessed in detail the potential impact of vaping on fertility. A recent study reported in the media analysed blood samples from more than 8,000 women but this was not published in a medical journal and no other details of the research have been shared.Our health advice will continue to advise all women planning to get pregnant, or who are pregnant, to stop smoking for their general health.Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. We are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom research councils to examine the potential long-term harms from vaping.To help pregnant smokers quit smoking, the Government is providing up to £10 million of investment over 2023/24 and 2024/25 via a financial incentives scheme. This evidence-based intervention, supported by behavioural support, will encourage pregnant women and their partners to quit smoking, and remain smokefree throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.

Members: Correspondence

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will (a) respond to the letter of 21 February 2024 from Parliamentarians on Excess Deaths and (b) direct the other recipients to respond.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has received the correspondence from the hon. Member and has provided a response in PO-1497930.

Fentanyl and Nitazenes: Death

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaths involving (a) nitazenes and (b) fentanyls have been confirmed by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in 2024 as of 25 April.

Andrea Leadsom: We are actively monitoring, and responding to, the continued threat posed by the growing levels of potent synthetic opioids in the United Kingdom. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities receives intelligence via its networks on reported deaths from drug misuse, including those that involve nitazenes or fentanyls. There have been 14 deaths confirmed to have involved nitazenes, and no deaths confirmed to have involved fentanyls in England in 2024, as of 25 April.Statistics on the annual number of deaths related to drug poisoning, including those involving synthetic opioids, are reported by the Office for National Statistics, and will be published in due course.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of admissions to hospital due to alcohol poisoning in the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The following table shows the number of hospital admissions in England due to intentional self-poisoning by, and exposure to, alcohol, each year from 2017/18 to 2021/22:Year2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22Admissions25,33026,97025,64024,01019,000Source: Alcohol Profile - Hospital admissions due to alcohol, from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles/supporting-information/admissions2

Liver Diseases: Darlington

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of liver disease in Darlington constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: Through the 2021 Drugs Strategy we are making the largest ever single increase in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding, with £780 million of additional investment. Of this, £532 million is being invested to rebuild local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. As alcohol and drug services are commissioned together, this will benefit people seeking treatment for alcohol use. In the financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25, Darlington has been allocated just over £1.9 million through the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant and Inpatient Detoxification Grant, to increase the number of people benefiting from alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services, and the outcomes they achieve. This is additional to the amounts invested through the Public Health Grant. Work in the National Health Service, specifically piloting early diagnosis and prevention through 19 community diagnostic hubs, is identifying undiagnosed liver disease. The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board is enrolled in a Community Liver Health Check pilot in Newcastle, being delivered by the system’s Hepatitis C Operational Delivery Networks. This will provide FibroScans in one-stop community clinics, where patients also have other investigations, as required. The pilot has expanded into North Tyneside, and when resources allow, they intend to develop clinics elsewhere. Beyond treatment, we are committed to tackling alcohol harms including reducing consumption levels, and in 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty, meaning products are taxed directly in proportion to their alcohol content.

Glaucoma: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of people that have been diagnosed with glaucoma broken down by age in the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The following table provides a count of Finished Admission Episodes where glaucoma was recorded as the primary diagnosis, broken down by age, each year from 2018/19 to 2022/23:Age group2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/230 to 43322921882051955 to 91561481038411710 to 14921208112811515 to 191211097112813120 to 24138123871058725 to 2917317612318215830 to 3423321917621824335 to 3930631824325327840 to 4449841336342742845 to 4986786759066663650 to 541,2881,4239841,1241,14955 to 591,8521,8621,3521,6561,71260 to 642,3292,3991,6792,0912,21365 to 693,1483,0732,0452,6252,58670 to 744,0624,1172,7403,4353,56375 to 793,8373,9692,7283,6814,15580 to 843,2303,2312,1922,8093,05985 to 891,8411,9701,2141,6661,86390 and over573616399607604Age unknown7296517771Source: NHS Business Service AuthorityWider data on the total number of people diagnosed with glaucoma is not collected. The data does not include individuals diagnosed with glaucoma, where no admission to hospital was necessary, as this will include patients provided with eye drops for the management of their condition, the most common treatment. The data presented is not a count of people, as the same person may have been admitted to hospital on more than one occasion within any given time period.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children and Young Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help educate children on alcohol harm.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Education’s statutory guidance, Relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education, became mandatory in September 2020. Through this, education on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco became compulsory at state-funded primary and secondary schools, teaching children and young people how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe.The Government also has an information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce the use of substances and their harms, by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.comGuidance from England’s Chief Medical Officer for healthcare professionals is clear, that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. The Department promotes these through online platforms such as NHS.UK website, the Talk to FRANK online resource, and the GOV.UK website. Local authorities promote these guidelines as part of their public health duties.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of public health approaches to alcohol from other countries; and whether she has made an assessment of which country provides the best practice model.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department maintains an interest in the effectiveness of policies implemented by other countries, to reduce alcohol harms. The 2016 Public Health England publication, The public health burden of alcohol: evidence review, reviewed effective policies for reducing alcohol harms in countries who are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Officials in the Department frequently engage with international colleagues, and those in the devolved administrations, to exchange ideas, experience, and evidence when developing new policies.The Government was involved in the work by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop an action plan to strengthen the implementation of the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. We were pleased that the action plan was adopted at the 75th World Health Assembly in May 2022. The United Kingdom will continue to work with the WHO and member states on alcohol harm reduction.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria she uses to assess the success of Government policy on (a) alcohol use and (b) alcohol harm.

Andrea Leadsom: We have a range of metrics which we monitor to assess the success of our work to reduce alcohol harm, including the Health Survey for England. The Government takes a wide-ranging approach to addressing alcohol-related harms, including promoting the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer’s low risk drinking guidance. Approximately 80% of adults drink within the guidelines of 14 units of alcohol a week.Population level alcohol consumption has remained stable over recent years. Among children aged 11 to 15 years old, alcohol consumption has decreased significantly in the last 20 years. However, while we are seeing an increasing number of people drinking at lower levels or abstaining, we have also seen more people drinking at higher-risk levels. As a result, some indicators of harm have increased, and we are committed to addressing these, including through the establishment of alcohol care teams in the 25% acute hospitals in England with the greatest need, through the NHS Long Term Plan.Community treatment for alcohol dependence is highly effective. In 2020/21, 62% of people in alcohol-only treatment completed treatment free of dependence, the highest completion rate for any substance misuse group. We have committed to making further improvements to the alcohol and drug treatment system through the 10-year Drug Strategy.

Smoking: Health Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish a response to her Department's consultation on Mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs, which closed on 10 October 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. Alongside creating the first smokefree generation in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are also scaling up our efforts to support existing smokers in quitting. We have provided an additional £70 million per year to local authority led stop smoking services, and we are investing in a new incentives programme to support pregnant women to quit. We are also providing £15 million a year to fund anti-smoking campaigns.The Government ran a consultation on mandating informative messages about quitting smoking inside tobacco packs, which was open from 14 August 2023 to 10 October 2023. This included proposed inserts on a number of themes related to stopping smoking, such as benefits to physical and mental health, financial benefits, and how to access stop-smoking aids. We will aim to publish the response to this consultation in this parliamentary session.

IVF: LGBT+ People

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's Women's Health Strategy for England, published in August 2022, if she will publish a timeline for the commitments made to female same-sex couples on (a) intrauterine insemination and (b) IVF treatment in all integrated care boards.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has made good progress in developing guidance to assist integrated care boards with implementing this policy commitment. The Department is working at pace with NHS England to share this guidance with the National Health Service. This commitment remains a priority for us in implementing the Women’s Health Strategy.

Prisons: Health Services

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prisoners were transferred to hospital for (a) physical and (b) mental health concerns in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: Information is not collected centrally on the number of prisoners transferred to hospital for physical health concerns. Prisoners with mental illness are usually treated by secondary mental health services in prison unless their mental health needs require them to be transferred to hospital, under the Mental Health Act 1983. The following table shows the number of prisoners transferred from prison to hospital under the act, as a restricted patient, each year from 2010 to 2023:YearTransferred while unsentenced or untriedTransferred after sentenceAll transfers201049944694520115114429532012517462979201353345799020145395221,06120155664441,01020164775039802017474462936201849446495820195065101,016202049949999820215915041,09520225994581,05720236174471,064Source: Restricted Patients Statistics, Ministry of Justice.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure myalgic encephalomyelitis receives a proportionate share of National Institute for Health and Care Research funding.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will instruct the National Institute for Health and Care Research to increase the level of funding available for myalgic encephalomyelitis research.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including myalgic encephalomyelitis. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

Dietetics: Prescriptions

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending independent prescribing responsibilities to dietitians.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning research on the potential impact on patient care of granting independent prescribing responsibilities to dietitians.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether officials in her Department have had discussions with (a) the British Dietetic Association and (b) other relevant stakeholders on the potential extension of independent prescribing responsibilities to dietitians.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the prescribing responsibilities of (a) dietitians and (b) other allied health professionals are regularly (i) reviewed and (ii) updated to reflect potential (A) advances in healthcare and (B) patient needs.

Andrew Stephenson: Dieticians can currently supply and administer medicines using Patient Group Directions and train to use supplementary prescribing. At present, these are deemed to be the most appropriate medicines mechanisms for their use.The University of Surrey is carrying out a study which looks at the effect of dietitians and therapeutic radiographers prescribing on patients, staff, and services. The project began in 2019 and is now in its final phase.The Department works with NHS England to ensure that the prescribing responsibilities for all Allied Health Professionals, including dietitians, are regularly reviewed and updated. Where it is deemed clinically appropriate and necessary to extend prescribing responsibilities to Allied Health Professionals, the Department follows an established process for making changes that ensures proposals are safe and beneficial for patients.

Lung Cancer: Artificial Intelligence

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's press release entitled AI to speed up lung cancer diagnosis deployed in NHS hospitals, published on 30 October 2023, how many of the NHS trusts listed have (a) received funding and (b) rolled out AI tools to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: Since the original announcement, two additional trusts have been included in this initiative, bringing the total to 66, from the previously announced 64. Funding to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer has so far been provided to 63 of the 66 trusts participating. This represents 11 of the 12 participating imaging networks. The remaining imaging network has recently completed its procurement process, with a finalised outcome expected soon. All 63 funded trusts are currently in the process of deploying the AI technologies. We anticipate the first trusts will begin utilising these technologies for patient care from May 2024.

Medical Equipment

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to publish the informative learning and feedback from the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot.

Andrew Stephenson: The Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot is due to run until March 2025. We are conducting internal and external reviews to seek feedback and learning from the pilot. This will provide comprehensive insights and knowledge to inform the feasibility and development of a future IDAP pathway. The outcome of these reviews will inform a wider evaluation of the IDAP. Further details of the future IDAP pathway, and the outcome of the pilot, will be shared in due course.

Physician Associates

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many physician associates have been employed in each NHS Trust in each year since 2019.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. These include staff working for hospital trusts and other core organisations, but excludes staff working for other providers such as in primary care, general practice, or social care.A table showing the number of full time equivalent (FTE) Physician Associates working in National Health Service trusts in England, broken down by organisation, from December 2019 to December 2023, is attached. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the NHS. From this data, the table attached presents the number of FTE staff who have a job role recorded as being a Physician Associate.PQ24247 attached table (xlsx, 26.1KB)

Patients: Safety

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many never events occurred in each NHS Trust in each year since 2019.

Maria Caulfield: Information on Never Events is published by NHS England. All available data on Never Events, including a breakdown for individual National Health Service trusts, is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/never-events-data/

Learning Disability: Nurses

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many learning disability nurse vacancies there are as of 30 April 2024.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not hold vacancy rates that are granular enough to identify rates for learning disability nurses. However, NHS England publishes quarterly vacancy statistics for registered nurses working in National Health Service trusts, which are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

Surgical Mesh Implants: Compensation

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report from the Patient Safety Commissioner entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024, whether she is taking steps to implement the recommendation that women treated with mesh should be compensated.

Maria Caulfield: The Government commissioned the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) to produce a report on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. We are grateful to the PSC and her team for completing this report, and our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is now carefully considering the PSC’s recommendations, and will respond substantively in due course.

Streptococcus: Clinical Trials

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she expects to receive the outcome of the Group B Streptococcus trial before the House rises for the Summer adjournment.

Andrew Stephenson: The clinical and cost-effectiveness of testing for Group B Streptococcus: a cluster randomised trial with economic and acceptability evaluations trial current contract end date is 31 August 2025, therefore results will not be available before the House of Commons rises for the summer adjournment. The trial has finished recruiting participants and data extraction and analysis continues and the results will be available once both are completed. As with all research funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we expect findings to be submitted to the Department, and in the case of this trial, to the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) hosted by the Department. The UK NSC stands ready to review the findings of this research as soon as the results are shared.

Medical Equipment: Technology

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for publication of the implementation plan for the Medical Technology Strategy.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government published the Medical Technology Strategy: One Year On policy paper on 9 April 2024. This paper outlines key achievements since the publication of the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023. It also outlines our plan to streamline and integrate the innovation pathway, detailing next steps and milestones.The paper reiterated the Government’s commitment to collaborate with key stakeholders to deliver our plan, including industry, patient groups, clinicians and the wider health and social care system.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women were turned away from mammogram screening tests because they were unable to hold the required position for sufficient time in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England does not hold this information at a national level. NHS England is committed to improving the accessibility of the screening programmes it commissions and contractually, providers of National Health Service screening services are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities.Services make reasonable adjustments within the constraints of mammography equipment, to ensure that people with disabilities are offered the opportunity to have screening; However, there may be situations where this is not possible.Local providers will have a better understanding of any accessibility issues for individual patients and will deal with these on a case by case basis. Providers will offer an alternative approach as necessary. For example, for women who are unable to have a mammogram, may be offered a referral to a symptomatic breast clinic for a physical check.

Elysium Healthcare: Contracts

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual cost to her Department is of contracts with Elysium Healthcare (a) nationally and (b) in Cheshire.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not and has not held any contracts with Elysium Healthcare. Contracts with Elysium Healthcare are held with local National Health Service bodies, for instance NHS trusts.

Childbirth

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) male and (b) female live births there were in each lower layer super output area in each year since 2007.

Maria Caulfield: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published Births by Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA), England and Wales: mid-year periods (1 July to 30 June) 2000 to 2021. This is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/adhocs/15357birthsbylowerlayersuperoutputarealsoaenglandandwalesmidyearperiods1julyto30june2000to2021.The ONS has also published Births by Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) in England and Wales mid-year 2021 to 2022. This is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/adhocs/2006birthsbylowerlayersuperoutputarealsoainenglandandwalesmidyear2021to2022.Both releases include a breakdown of births by gender. Information from 2023 onwards is not available in the requested format.

Department for Education

Children in Care: Location

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) care leavers and (b) children in care are given placements as close as possible to (i) extended family members and (ii) others with whom they have important personal relationships.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care were moved more than 20 miles away from their home in the 2022-23 financial year; and what steps she is taking to help reduce this number in future years.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's statistical publication of 16 November 2023, what information his Department holds on the reasons for which children in care were in a placement more than 20 miles from their home in 2023.

David Johnston: The number of new placements for children looked after over 20 miles from their homes during the reporting year ending 31 March 2023 was 18,720. This represents 21% of new placements for children looked after during the year, compared to 67% who were placed 20 miles or less, and 13% where distance was not known or not recorded. If a child has more than one new placement then each will be counted.Further information on placement distance and locality has been published in the ‘Children looked after including adoptions’ statistical release. This data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aa5c9275-7f98-49e2-e5bb-08dc65d392eb.The department does not collect data on the reasons for which a child may be placed more than 20 miles away from their home area.The department wants to reduce out of area placements, however, they will always be part of the care landscape. Certain circumstances can make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.The department does recognise there are issues in the placement market, which is why the department has announced over £400 million in capital funding to help local authorities create more beds in their local areas helping to create an additional 560 placements across England.The department is also investing £36 million this Parliament to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme so foster care is available for more children who need it. This will boost approvals of foster carers, as well as taking steps to retain the carers we have.In addition to the support provided by local authorities, the government is providing over £250 million during this Spending Review period to support young people leaving care with housing, access to education, employment, and training, and to help them develop social connections and networks, to avoid loneliness and isolation.The department has also committed to increasing the number of local authorities with family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes. Following a local authority grant funding application round, the department is now funding 50 programmes across 45 local authorities. These programmes will help children in care and care leavers to identify and connect with the important people in their lives and create safe, stable, loving relationships.

Childcare

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Audit Office's report entitled Preparations to extend early years entitlements for working parents in England, published on 24 April 2024, what steps she is taking to deliver the additional childcare places needed.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Audit Office's report entitled Preparations to extend early years entitlements for working parents in England, published on 24 April 2024, what steps she is taking to increase the number of childcare places in areas of deprivation.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Audit Office's report entitled Preparations to extend early years entitlements for working parents in England, published on 24 April 2024, what steps she is taking to increase the number of childcare providers operating in areas of deprivation.

David Johnston: In 2010 there was only 12.5 hours of childcare support for some families with 3 and 4-year-olds. This government has already significantly expanded that support, to 30 hours free childcare for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds.The department is now going further, making the largest investment in childcare in England’s history.The rates for the new entitlements have been independently confirmed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to be well above market rates. The department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds to increase hourly funding rates and has allocated £100 million in capital funding for more early years (EY) and wrapround places and spaces.The department has also launched a range of new workforce initiatives to boost EY staff numbers. The department’s recruitment campaign ‘Do something BIG. Work with small children’ is backed by £6.5 million and is raising the status of EY to boost the recruitment of talented staff.On top of this, in order to further boost the workforce, the department has invited 20 local authorities to take part in a £4.9 million pilot to test whether financial incentives in EY would help boost recruitment in the same way it has for teachers. Up to 3,000 eligible joiners and returners to the workforce will receive a £1,000 tax-free cash payment, shortly after they take up the post. This is as well as an investment of £7.2 million to deliver Skills Bootcamps for Early Years which enables learners to progress on an accelerated Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeship. This builds on previous growth in the market. The total number of paid childcare staff increased by 12,900 (or 4%) from 334,400 in 2022 to 347,300 in 2023, and the overall number of places increased by 15,100 (or 1%) over the same period.It is important to note that Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about the sufficiency of childcare in their area including their work to support the EY workforce recruitment and retention. No local authorities have reported to the department that they do not have sufficient childcare places.The department continues to monitor the recruitment of EY staff alongside the sufficiency of childcare provision and are committed to continuing to work with the sector understand how it can further support EY workforce recruitment and retention.The department already has significant support in place for disadvantaged families.In addition to the expanded entitlements, the government has also taken action to support parents on Universal Credit with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears. The department has increased support for these parents by increasing the childcare cost maximum amounts to £950 for one child and £1629 for two children.The department already funds 15 hours of free early education a week for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and children with an education, health and care plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs.Over 1.2 million disadvantaged 2-year-olds have benefitted from 15 hours early education and care entitlement since the entitlement began in September 2013. 74%, or 124,200, of eligible children were taking up the 2-year-old entitlement for the most disadvantaged children, which is an increase in the take up rates from 72%, or 135,400, in January 2022.The department also supports the most disadvantaged by investing in high quality early education, family hubs and local services, and by helping parents to support their child’s early language development at home.It is important that local authorities reflect deprivation within their local funding approach. To support this, we have introduced a requirement for local authorities to ensure that the final funding rate they pay to providers for the disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement is at least equivalent to the final rate for the 2-year-old working parent entitlement.

Sixth Form Education: Qualifications

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 24 of the report by the Edge Foundation entitled Advancing British standards? Exploring public attitudes towards a baccalaureate-style 16-18 education system, published in April 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential breadth of the Level 3 technical qualifications offer that can be taken alongside A levels.

Luke Hall: ​​The Advanced British Standard (ABS) is designed to provide students with greater breadth and access to a single menu of high quality and distinct subjects, each with a clear purpose. Students will have the freedom to take a mix of technical and academic subjects, which gives them more flexibility over their future career options.​All students taking the ABS will study English and maths to age 18, either as theoretical or applied, depending on their interests and future goals.​The ongoing qualification reforms will pave the way for the future ABS, removing duplicate, low quality courses, that do not deliver the skills employers need. T Levels will form the core of the occupational routes within the ABS. The department is currently reforming applied general qualifications to ensure that other technical qualifications are based on employer designed, occupational standards not covered by T Levels, such as Travel Consultant, Highways electrician, and Personal trainer. This will pave the way for the inclusion of subjects within the ABS.​​As highlighted in the Edge Foundation’s report, the ABS requires an increase to teaching hours. The department will increase the number of taught hours by an extra 15% for most 16 to 19-year-olds, against the current average funded time of 1280 hours over two years. This will mean students receive at least 1,475 hours over two years, including industry placements. This enables the department to retain the depth and rigour to support progression to further study, apprenticeships and work, while giving students the breadth they need to succeed in an ever changing economy

Apprentices and T-levels

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many businesses can be involved in the provision of (a) a T Level industry placement and (b) flexi-job apprenticeships.

Luke Hall: T Levels offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days). Industry placements can be split across a maximum of two employers to help deliver a breadth of experience for the student, as well as creating opportunities within small to medium enterprises, in sectors such as creative, digital and construction, where short project-based work is common. Alternatively, a placement can be carried out across an employer’s supply chain or network, up to a maximum of two partners/sub-contractors, to enable students to experience an end-to-end process.Over 16,000 students started a T Level course from September 2023, which is almost as many students as in the first three cohorts combined, and the department will be introducing new T Levels in September 2024. As the department scale up T Levels, we are keen to increase the numbers of employers offering industry placements. The department has recently published the T Level Action Plan, which sets out further measures the department is taking over the year ahead to support providers and employers to grow their T Level programmes and support even more young people across the country. This includes new resources from the Strategic Development Network to support easier engagement between providers and employers. The T Level action plan can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6627c087d29479e036a7e68e/T_Level_Action_Plan_2023_to_2024.pdf.Flexi Job Apprenticeship Agencies (FJAAs) were introduced in 2022 to support sectors with short-term, project-based work to access apprenticeships. They allow apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.An organisation must be on the Register of FJAAs to operate as a Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency. Any business can contact an agency to become a host employer. The department does not place a limit on how many host employers an agency can work with, it is for the agency to decide what is best for their delivery model.FJAAs will arrange placements with one or more host employer to cover the duration of the apprenticeship. Placements must offer apprentices the chance and time to obtain and embed the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for their apprenticeship standard. There were 640 FJAA apprenticeship starts in the 2022/23 academic year and 570 starts have been reported from August to January in the 2023/24 academic year. More details on Flexi Job Apprenticeships can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that changes to parent fines for missing school do not unintentionally impact children who are absent from school due to prolonged illness.

Damian Hinds: Legislation and the government’s ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance state that a penalty notice can only be issued when the absence constitutes an offence under section 444 of the Education Act 1997. Where a pupil cannot attend due to illness, this is not an offence and so legal enforcement action cannot be taken. This position will not change when the new rules for penalty notices come into force on 19 August 2024. The full guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65f1b048133c22b8eecd38f7/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance__applies_from_19_August_2024_.pdf.More generally, the department expects schools and local authorities to take a ‘support first’ approach to improving attendance, only using penalty notices for absence that is classed as unauthorised and when support has already been provided and not worked or been engaged with, or in the case of holidays taken in term-time, is not appropriate. The vast majority of penalty notices for unauthorised absence (89% in the 2022/2023 academic year) are issued for term time holidays.Whatever the cause of absence from school, school staff should work with families and pupils to understand the barriers to attendance and provide support where possible. This might include providing pastoral support or making reasonable adjustments where a pupil has a disability. In the case of prolonged illness, as soon as it is clear that a child will be away from school for 15 school days or more because of their health needs, the local authority should arrange suitable alternative provision. It is important that all pupils’ right to a full-time education is protected, whilst acknowledging that some pupils require more support than others.The department is providing a series of training events and webinars throughout the summer term for schools and local authorities to ensure that the new rules regarding penalty notices are understood and implemented in line with the ‘support first’ approach.

Childcare: Pay

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, what metric was used to calculate the hourly rate childcare providers are paid to deliver free hours childcare for children aged nine months to four years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, whether trends in the level of (a) wage growth, (b) inflation and (c) National Living Wage rises were used to calculate the hourly rate paid to childcare providers to deliver free hours childcare for children aged nine months to four years.

David Johnston: The Spring Budget 2024 announcement confirms how the department will uplift costs in the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. The department will use average earnings growth and National Living Wage (NLW) to forecast how staff costs are changing for providers and Consumer Price Index (a general measure of inflation) to forecast how non-staff costs will change. This is the same metric that was used at Spring Budget 2023 and as such, levels of inflation and the NLW were taken into account when calculating the funding rates paid by the department to local authorities for all of the entitlements in the financial year 2024/25.The department’s methodology and the uplift to the rates are informed by data it receives from providers and parents to ensure it meets the pressures faced by the sector. The department regularly surveys a nationally representative sample of over 9,000 providers to gain insights into how they run their provision and the challenges they face. The department also regularly surveys over 6,000 parents to understand their usage of childcare.

Further Education and Schools: Skilled Workers

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage a greater emphasis on developing skills for work in schools and colleges.

Damian Hinds: The department wants all young people to leave school or college with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to progress onto higher education or skilled work.High-quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping all young people to make informed decisions about their future, understand the skills they need to succeed and the pathways to take them there. The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers programmes and increase young people’s exposure to the world of work. 92% (4,760) of schools and colleges in England are part of a Careers Hub, which increase young peoples’ encounters with employers, access to workplace experiences and understanding of the skills, behaviours, and qualifications they need to develop for a range of jobs and sectors. Through the National Careers Service website and live chat function, young people aged 13 to 18 can access free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers and skills in England.Colleges deliver a wide range of vocational and technical training needed to prepare students for skilled work in a wide variety of occupations, and for higher technical study. Colleges are delivering:Apprenticeships training which is based on employer led standards that will ensure that apprenticeships are equipped with the skills that employers need.New T levels where 250 employers have been involved in designing the content, ensuring that qualifications meet industry need and preparing students for the world of work.New Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks and give people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.New Free Courses for Jobs offer that gives eligible adults the chance to access a high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. 400 courses are available and have been carefully chosen as they offer good wage outcomes and address the skills needed in the economy.

Further Education and Schools: Basic Skills

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to encourage a greater emphasis on developing essential skills for life in schools and colleges.

Damian Hinds: The department wants all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills and values that will prepare them to be citizens in modern Britain. There are many aspects of the curriculum that help young people develop essential life skills, including through the teaching of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), citizenship, mathematics and design and technology (D&T).In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education involves supporting children to learn how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. In secondary schools, this broadens to become age-appropriate relationships and sex education. In health education, there is a strong focus on mental wellbeing, including a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. The statutory guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. The review has been informed by an independent expert panel to advise the Secretary of State for Education on the introduction of age limits for sensitive subjects. A draft of the amended guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible.The national curriculum for secondary citizenship develops pupils’ awareness and understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Teaching should equip pupils with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. The citizenship programmes of study are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-citizenship-programmes-of-study.Primary maintained schools and all academies are encouraged to cover citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum following the non-statutory framework for citizenship.Pupils should be prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.Financial knowledge is a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics at key stages 1 to 4 and citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. The mathematics curriculum provides young people with the mathematical knowledge that underpins their ability to make important financial decisions. At primary schools, there is a strong emphasis on enabling pupils to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. At secondary schools and in GCSE mathematics, pupils solve problems in financial contexts. The mathematics programme of study can be found on GOV.UK.Through primary citizenship curriculum, pupils should be taught to realise that money comes from different sources and can be used for different purposes. They should also be taught how to spend and save money sensibly and that economic choices affect individuals and communities. This is expanded in secondary citizenship where pupils are taught the function and uses of money, how to budget, and manage credit and debt, as well as concepts like insurance, savings and pensions.Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the national curriculum for D&T. This was introduced as part of the 2014 D&T curriculum and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves and others healthy and affordable food.RSHE and citizenship sit alongside extra-curricular programmes to develop a variety of life skills such as resilience, leadership, persistence, and teamwork. Schools are best placed to understand and meet the needs of their pupils and so have flexibility to decide how they deliver the curriculum and what range of extra-curricular activities to offer. The department supports a range of initiatives to expand access to extra-curricular activities through schools, such as working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to all state secondary schools in England.

Department for Work and Pensions

Lead: Health and Safety

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the assessment of lead ammunition restrictions by the Health and Safety Executive between March 2021 and 2024.

Paul Maynard: For the period 1 March 2021 to 31 March 2024 the Health and Safety Executive full economic cost estimate is £500,000 which includes the costs of both HSE and independent scientific experts engaged in this work but excludes work undertaken by the Environment Agency.

Personal Independence Payment

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Personal Independence Payments on trends in the number of claimants (a) in and (b) seeking employment.

Mims Davies: On the number and proportion of PIP claimants in employment, I refer the honourable member to the answer given on the 2nd of May to PQ 24056. The Department has made no assessment of the potential impact of Personal Independence Payments on trends in the number of claimants (a) in and (b) seeking employment. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to help with the extra costs arising from long-term ill health and disability, and is paid regardless of income and irrespective of whether someone is in work. PIP can also be paid in addition to other benefits the individual may receive, for example Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance, and can provide a passport to additional support through premiums or additional amounts.

Personal Independence Payment

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with (a) sector stakeholders and (b) people with lived experience on his Department's consultation on proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments.

Mims Davies: Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper was published on 29 April 2024. The associated consultation will last for 12 weeks, ending on 22 July, and throughout this period we will continue to listen to and work with disabled people, people with health conditions and their representatives. Sector stakeholders and people with lived experience will be encouraged to attend consultation events to share their views on proposals in the consultation. They are also encouraged to read and respond to the consultation, found here.

Universal Support

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people that have been helped into work by the Universal Support scheme since 13 September 2023.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the proportion of Universal Support scheme participants who (a) have successfully moved into employment since that scheme's introduction and (b) are still employed.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have been supported into work by the Universal Support programme as of 30 April 2024.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 24 April 2024 to PQ22549.

Universal Support

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which organisations are contracted providers to identify and refer potential participants for the Universal Support scheme; and how many participants each of those contracted providers has referred onto that scheme.

Mims Davies: Universal Support (US) is being delivered in two phases. The expansions to Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) and the Work and Health Programme (WHP Pioneer) are being rolled out for phase one of the service. IPSPC is not a Contracted Employment Provision, it is a grant awarded to Local Authorities (LAs) to deliver the provision and that could involve in-house delivery or contracted out to providers by the Grant Recipient (LA). In order to make WHP Pioneer accessible to all eligible individuals, including those who are not regular customers of Jobcentre Plus, DWP Signposting Organisations (SOs), including contracted providers, will be able to signpost individuals that they think will benefit from WHP Pioneer to DWP. However, please note the final decision regarding a referral to WHP Pioneer will remain with DWP. For WHP Pioneer the majority of referrals will be made via this route by providers. A list of providers can be found here. Information regarding how many participants each contracted provider has referred is not available. Statistics on the WHP Pioneer data element of US are planned to be published later this month, and we are committed to publishing IPSPC programme data in due course.

Universal Credit: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants have been identified as (a) serving and (b) having served in the armed forces for the latest assessment period.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone. Data coverage continues to improve over time and by March 2024 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 73% of the GB UC caseload (see table below). It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. Data is not collected on the specific branch of the Armed Forces that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past. Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far. The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded may not be representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the overall number or proportion of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past. Increases in the numbers of claimants with a recorded status of “currently serving” or “served in the past” do not necessarily mean the overall numbers of claimants who are currently serving or have served in the past have increased and may reflect increases in the number of claimants for whom data is held as data coverage improves over time. The table below shows how the proportion of the GB UC caseload with a recorded Armed Forces status has changed over time. It also shows how many claimants on the caseload had a recorded status of each type. GB UC caseload by recorded Armed Forces status UC caseload monthProportion of caseload with a recorded statusCurrently servingServed in the pastNot servedPrefer not to sayNo recorded statusJuly 202251%3,00039,0002,800,00021,0002,800,000August 202253%3,20040,0002,900,00022,0002,700,000September 202254%3,20041,0003,000,00022,0002,600,000October 202256%3,30043,0003,100,00023,0002,500,000November 202257%3,30044,0003,200,00024,0002,500,000December 202258%3,40045,0003,300,00025,0002,400,000January 202359%3,50046,0003,400,00025,0002,300,000February 202361%3,50048,0003,500,00026,0002,300,000March 202362%3,60048,0003,500,00027,0002,200,000April 202363%3,70050,0003,600,00028,0002,200,000May 202364%3,80050,0003,700,00028,0002,100,000June 202365%3,90051,0003,800,00029,0002,100,000July 202366%4,00052,0003,900,00030,0002,100,000August 202366%4,00053,0003,900,00030,0002,000,000September 202367%4,00054,0004,000,00030,0002,000,000October 202368%3,90054,0004,100,00030,0002,000,000November 202369%3,90055,0004,200,00031,0001,900,000December 202370%3,90057,0004,300,00031,0001,900,000January 202471%3,90058,0004,400,00032,0001,900,000February 202472%4,00059,0004,500,00032,0001,800,000March 2024 (provisional)73%4,20062,0004,700,00033,0001,800,000 Notes:1. Figures are for Great Britain. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland.2. Figures in the table have been rounded according to the Department’s Official Statistics rounding policy.3. In line with the latest published People on UC official statistics, provisional figures relating to March 2024 are provided. These figures will be subject to revision in subsequent releases.4. These figures are based on the Official Statistics UC caseload definition. Some previous figures have used an alternative caseload definition based on assessment period end dates.5. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Access to Work Programme

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average timescale is for an Access to Work application.

Mims Davies: The average timescale for an Access to Work application to have a decision for April 2024 was 43.9 days.The average timescale for an Access to Work application to have a decision for financial year 2023/24 was 45.1 days.

Personal Independence Payment

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in employment receive Personal Independence Payments.

Mims Davies: I refer the honourable member to the answer given on the 2nd of May to PQ 24056.

Employment: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on its Disability Confident employer scheme.

Mims Davies: The Disability Confident scheme is delivered by a small policy team within the department, and by colleagues across the Jobcentre Plus network, who engage with employers and partner organisations as part of their day-to-day business. Total scheme expenditure is not separately recorded within departmental budgets.

Universal Support

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been (a) identified through and (b) referred to the Universal Support scheme by (i) work coaches and (ii) contracted providers since 13 September 2023.

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the sectors of employment that people have successfully moved into after having participated in the Universal Support scheme.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not available. Statistics on the Work and Health Programme Pioneer element of Universal Support are planned to be published later this month, and we are committed to publishing Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme data in due course.

Statutory Sick Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the level of statutory sick pay on health outcomes.

Jo Churchill: I refer the hon. Member to a previous response provided by the Minister of State for Care to Question UIN 902448.

Statutory Sick Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to remove the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay.

Jo Churchill: Since 2019 over 500,000 more people now earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and can therefore benefit from Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). However, now is not the right time for structural reform of SSP, which includes removing the LEL. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider Government offer to support people in times of need, many of those with earnings below the LEL are already in receipt of benefits, such as Universal Credit.

Statutory Sick Pay: Cancer

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to increase statutory sick pay for people unable to work while living with cancer.

Jo Churchill: The Government has already increased the rate of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) this year, in April the rate of SSP was increased by the September 2023 CPI of 6.7% to £116.75. This represents a £20 per week increase in the rate of SSP since 2021. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider Government offer to support people in times of need. Anybody who is on a low level of income during the period that they are sick and who requires further financial support may be able to claim Universal Credit, depending on their personal circumstances.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Ground Rent

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Modern leasehold: restricting ground rent for existing leases, closed on 17 January 2024, whether he plans to reduce ground rents.

Lee Rowley: I would refer my Rt Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 23795 on 3 May 2024.

Poplar HARCA: Tower Hamlets Community Housing

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Regulator of Social Housing on whether it has instructed the Board of Tower Hamlets Community Housing to discontinue the negotiations with Poplar HARCA about the proposed merger of the organisations.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Regulator of Social Housing on whether the Board of Tower Hamlets Community Housing has produced an improvement plan as of 26 April 2024.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will have discussions with the Regulator of Social Housing on whether they have had discussions with any of the large G15 housing associations on taking over Tower Hamlets Community Housing.

Jacob Young: The Regulator of Social Housing is an Arms Length Body with operational independence from government. It operates according to the regulatory framework which sets out the economic and consumer standards that registered providers of social housing are required to meet.Tower Hamlets Community Housing is an independent private sector organisation that makes its own commercial decisions.

Swan Housing Association: Orbit Group

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he asked the Regulator of Social Housing to report on the effectiveness of its involvement in the proposed merger between Swan Housing and Orbit in 2022.

Jacob Young: The Regulator of Social Housing is an arm’s-length body with operational independence from government. It sets the economic and consumer standards that registered providers of social housing are required to meet. The details of the Regulator’s engagement on the proposed merger between Swan Housing Association and Orbit is a matter for the Regulator.

Local Government: Land and Property

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance is available to local authorities on valuations when selling (a) land and (b) property.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he (a) has had or (b) plans to have discussions with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council on selling land designated for employment use as storage land.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance is available to local authorities on the utilisation of land sold as storage land.

Simon Hoare: Under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 local authorities have the power to dispose of surplus land in any manner they wish. The only requirement is for them to obtain Secretary of State consent should they wish to dispose of the land (otherwise than by a short tenancy) at lower than market price and guidance on this is set out in Disposal of land for less than the best consideration that can reasonably be obtained: circular 06/2003.The Secretary of State has not had, and does not plan to have, discussions with the Council on this matter.The department does not produce guidance on the utilisation of land sold as storage land.

Local Government: Audit

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many councils had a completed audit on time for the financial year 2023-2024.

Simon Hoare: The deadline for councils in England to publish audited accounts for financial year 2023/24 has not yet passed.

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of (a) the number of UK citizens living overseas who are eligible to register to vote and (b) projected levels of such registrations in the next six months.

Simon Hoare: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Impact Assessment on the Representation of the People (Overseas Electors etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2023: The Representation of the People (Overseas Electors etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.The department has not made any projections of levels of registrations of UK citizens living overseas in the next six months.

Private Rented Housing

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when reforms to tenancy lengths under the provisions of the Renters (Reform) Bill will come into force for (a) existing tenancies and (b)newtenancies.

Jacob Young: We have committed to provide at least six months’ notice of our first implementation date after which all new tenancies will be periodic and governed by the new rules. To avoid a two-tier rental sector, and to make sure landlords and tenants are clear on their rights, all existing tenancies will transition to a new system on a second implementation date.This phased implementation will support tenants, landlords and agents to adjust to and understand the new rules, while making sure that tenants can benefit from the new system as soon as reasonably possible. We will provide more details about our implementation plans in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Darwin Plus: Finance

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 22727 on Darwin Plus: Finance, if he will list the (a) funding and (b) recipient of the funding for each project per territory.

Rebecca Pow: Pursuant to the Answer of 26 April to Question 22727, Darwin Plus projects awarded funding since 2019 for each Territory can be found in the attached table. The table includes grants from all Darwin Plus schemes: Main, Fellowships (recently rebranded as People & Skills), Covid 19 Rapid Response (A time-limited scheme for 2021), and two new schemes introduced in 2023, Local and Strategic. Further information about active and completed Darwin Plus projects can be found on the Darwin Plus website, which will soon be updated to include the latest projects awarded in 2024.

Dangerous Dogs: Veterinary Services

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many XL Bullies registered with the exemption scheme have not been neutered.

Sir Mark Spencer: For a Certificate of Exemption to remain valid, owners must arrange to have their XL Bully dog neutered and to provide evidence of this to Defra by set deadlines. These deadlines are 30 June 2024 if the dog was 12 months or older on 31 January 2024, 31 December 2024 if the dog was at least 7 months old, but less than 12 months old on 31 January 2024, and 30 June 2025 if the dog was younger than 7 months on 31 January 2024. As these deadlines have not yet passed, we have not received and processed all forms and so we do not hold data on the number of XL Bullies that have not been neutered. We recommend that owners arrange for their dogs to be neutered as soon as possible to meet these deadlines.

Dangerous Dogs: Enforcement

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Dog Legislation Officers there were on 15 September 2023; how many and what proportion of those Dog Legislation Officers have received training in the identification standard for an XL Bully; and how many new Dog Legislation Officers have been trained since 1 January 2024.

Sir Mark Spencer: Defra does not hold data on the number of Dog Legislation Officers. This information is held by individual police forces. We have supported the police to deliver additional training to Dog Legislation Officers to make sure the ban is effectively enforced.

Wildlife: Crime

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the use of catapults to harm wildlife illegal.

Rebecca Pow: The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously, including those involving the use of catapults. There is already sufficient legislation in place which protects wildlife against the use of catapults. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. While the Act does not specifically include catapults in the list of weapons that a person must not use to kill an animal, it is still illegal under this Act to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species. There are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife under provisions not just in this Act, but also in the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of crimes against wildlife under these Acts.

Flood Control

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Environment Agency on trends in the level of (a) dredging and (b) desilting as a means of flood prevention.

Robbie Moore: Ministers and Defra officials regularly meet with the Environment Agency to discuss flood and water management issues, including dredging.The Environment Agency assesses each situation individually and dredge when it is the right solution, and it provides long-term value for money. Understanding where it will, and will not, reduce flood risk is key.Where there is evidence that dredging will reduce flood risk to local properties or agricultural land without increasing flooding downstream, it meets government criteria, and is cost effective, the Environment Agency will do it.Dredging can contribute to reducing flooding in some locations, but in others dredging would be an extremely inefficient and ineffective way to manage flood risk, as the natural processes in many rivers can cause the silt to return and accumulate in the same places very quickly. We also know from historic records and modelling that dredging in some locations can increase erosion and flood risk for communities downstream.In extreme flooding events, the relatively small increases in width and depth achievable by dredging the channel do not provide anywhere near enough capacity to contain the excess flood water, since the channel may already be full of water, and therefore does not prevent flooding.Any structures encroaching in the river such as bridges, weirs and natural features need to be considered, as these could be damaged or may be pinch points with hard foundations which can make dredging ineffective. Deepening can in some instances also cause destabilising of natural riverbanks leading to soil erosion and damage to riverside flood defences.

Livestock: Exports

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 21236 on Livestock: Exports, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the change since 2020.

Sir Mark Spencer: Exports of livestock by sea to continental Europe have not been viable since 2020, due to the lack of Border Control Posts designated to accept this trade in receiving EU Member States.

Furs: Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2024 to Question 22091 on Furs: Trade, what his planned timetable is for publication of the report from the expert Animal Welfare Committee on responsible sourcing in the fur industry.

Sir Mark Spencer: The Animal Welfare Committee project on the responsible sourcing of fur is expected to conclude in 2025. The report will be published on gov.uk once finalised.

Furs: Sales

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timescales are for publishing the results of the consultation entitled The Fur Market in Great Britain, which closed on 31 May 2021.

Sir Mark Spencer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 April 2024 to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, PQ 22091.

Beavers: Conservation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to have beavers introduced under the wildlife licensing scheme, CL50, have been (a) made and (b) accepted.

Rebecca Pow: Class Licence CL50 allows for re-release of captured or rescued beavers back into existing wild-living beaver populations, and is intended to enable conflict management, rescue for welfare reasons, and research. CL50 cannot be used for introduction of beavers to river catchments where they do not already exist. There have been 12 applications made to Natural England to re-release beavers under CL50, all into the same river catchments that they were captured or rescued from. Of these, 9 were granted, and 3 were withdrawn or not granted.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his expected timetable is for reviewing the use of cages for laying hens.

Sir Mark Spencer: We have delivered an ambitious legislative programme since the publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which will deliver significant improvements for animals in the UK and abroad. We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond. Mindful of the challenges facing the sector, we are not consulting on cage reforms. The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hen production. Egg producers and consumers should rightly have pride in the quality of British eggs, with about 75% coming from free range, barn and organic production systems. We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards of animal welfare. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.

Landfill: Coastal Areas

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent (a) flooding and (b) erosion of former coastal landfill sites; whether funding is available to local authorities to tackle that matter; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using under-spend from the Environment Agency's capital programme for that purpose.

Robbie Moore: Since 2010, the Government has invested around £6 billion to better protect over 600,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion. The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. All of the £5.6 billion is expected to have been invested by 2027. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, £170 million for economic recovery from flooding and over £30 million of funding for flood incident management. The amount to be spent on coastal erosion and sea flooding is forecast to be around £1.3 billion between April 2021 and March 2027. .Responsibility for managing both coastal change and legacy coastal landfill sites lies with the relevant coastal protection authorities. Local authorities’ waste powers are defined under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Environment Agency has recently worked with local authorities to update Shoreline Management Plans to reflect action required at the coast, including to manage landfill at risk, and is also updating public maps showing projections of future erosion risk. Local authorities receive revenue funding for local services through the Local Government Settlement. The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available over £64.7 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. The majority of local government funding is un-ringfenced, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major service pressures in their local areas, including on flood and coastal erosion risk management. The Government recognises that for some historic coastal landfill (HCL) sites, understanding the impacts and therefore remediation priorities may not be clear. We have commissioned a project to complete a national assessment of the situation to provide us with a clear and up to date understanding of the scale of risks posed by HCL sites in England. This will support national and local understanding of the issues, including enabling informed decisions on priority actions needed. The project is due to be completed by spring 2025.

Inland Border Facilities: Ashford

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 21634 on Inland Border Facilities: Ashford, whether (a) the designation decision has been taken and (b) Sevington has been designated as a border control post.

Sir Mark Spencer: The border control post at Sevington has now received its designation and began operation on 30 April.

Veterinary Services: Disclosure of Information

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to require veterinarians to (a) record and (b) publish information on all animals they euthanise.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to implement mandatory reporting by veterinarians of the euthanasia of (a) healthy and (b) otherwise treatable animals.

Sir Mark Spencer: Euthanasia of an animal is an important means to help protect animal welfare by being able to relieve suffering. Whilst this is the primary reason for euthanasia, a veterinary surgeon must also take account of the owners’ wishes and circumstances. Advice about euthanasia is laid out in the guidance underpinning the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Code of Professional Conduct, which all veterinary surgeons practising in the UK must adhere to. Where a veterinary surgeon considers a request for euthanasia is not in the best interest of the animal, they can challenge this. We have not seen evidence of widespread unnecessary euthanasia and we do not consider that the case for a new reporting requirement has been established.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of government procurement card spending by his Department in each year since 2010.

Sir Mark Spencer: The table below sets out total expenditure using government procurement cards for the given financial years. Information relating to 2010 to 2016 is not readily available. Financial YearAmount2016-17£147,1672017-18£474,6192018-19£1,324,3662019-20£1,311,3242020-21£698,3532021-22£584,3452022-23£660,3522023-24£646,102

Agriculture: Tenants

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Commissioner for the tenant farming sector.

Sir Mark Spencer: Defra is currently considering next steps following analysis of a Call for Evidence that it undertook with selected industry organisations and discussions with the Farm Tenancy Forum on the role of a Commissioner. We are committed to supporting the tenanted sector and continue to put their needs and voices at the heart of our decisions.

Coastal Erosion and Flood Control

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Q25 of the oral evidence given by the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency to the Committee of Public Accounts on 27 November 2023, HC 71, if he will list the 500 schemes that will no longer go forward in the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme; and if he will publish details of the modelling system used to make that calculation.

Robbie Moore: The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, £170 million for economic recovery from flooding and over £30 million of funding for flood incident management. Since April 2021, over £2.3 billion has been invested in around 300 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 88,000 properties.The capital investment programme is annually reviewed and updated to accommodate changes, including the introduction of new schemes or urgent works. This means the programme is dynamic and evolves over time. Projects are not typically cancelled but deferred until funding and resources allow them to progress. Projects are prioritised for the upcoming annual budget according to the following factors:Projects to address urgent health and safety risk or is a statutory requirementProjects that are already in constructionRemaining projects ranked by adjusted partnership funding score. This score is the quantified value of outcomes as measured by the Defra Partnership Funding Policy, divided by the costs of the project and expressed as a percentage. The programme is reviewed and agreed by Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs), who may make adjustments to reflect local priorities. If a project is not successful in securing funding for the upcoming year, it is rolled over to the longlist for the next year. Delivery is the Government’s key priority, and we are working with the Environment Agency to review the programme in the light of the impacts of inflation and the pandemic. More information will be available in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Consultants

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the use of private consultants by his Department in the last 12 months.

Sir Mark Spencer: The department publishes expenditure on consultants in the annual report and accounts. The most recently published period is 2022-23 when the core department spent £23.7 million (page 108).

Animal Products and Plants: Import Controls

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 138 of the Border Target Operating Model, published in August 2023, whether restrictions will be placed on people bringing (a) animal and (b) plant products for food into the UK from the EU for personal use.

Sir Mark Spencer: The BTOM sets out the policy design for import health controls on commercial consignments and the future regime for goods in personal possession is still being finalised. We do not intend to prohibit personal imports altogether, and we will set out our new approach, which adopts the same principles of risk assessment and proportionality, in due course.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to email correspondence of (a) 11 January, (b) 8 February, (c) 1 March and (d) 15 March 2024 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East with references (i) MC2024/00868 and (ii) DL17224.

Sir Mark Spencer: A response to the hon. Member was sent out on 30 April 2024. I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2024 to Question 23368 on Armed Forces: Mefloquine, how many of the common law claims have been resolved; and how many unresolved common law claims are the subject of continuing legal action.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To date, 60 claims have been partially settled and three claims have been fully settled. Partially settled claims are those where damages have been agreed and paid to a Claimant, but where the Claimant's solicitor's costs remain in dispute.A total of 457 claims are the subject of continuing legal action, in that they have not yet been resolved.A trial has been listed for March 2025 to establish generic issues. At this trial 10 lead cases from the largest Claimant cohort will be heard. The trial means that all other claims are stayed until the outcome of the lead cases is decided.

Stonehouse Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel were based at RM Stonehouse as of 29 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 1 January 2024 there were 570 personnel based at RMB Stonehouse. These are the most up to date statistics as figures for Tri Service Statistics are collated quarterly. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure, and numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the environmental impact of the UK's nuclear test programmes in Kiritimati in the last 10 years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 November 2023 to Question 2731 to the hon. Member for Streatham (Bell Ribeiro-Addy).Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons (docx, 14.8KB)

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he has had discussions with (a) Nautilus International and (b) the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has regular scheduled discussions and meetings with both Nautilus International and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers in accordance with an established Partnership Agreement.The most recent discussions have taken place during April 2024.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 1 February 2024 on Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) Scheme Update, HCWS233, whether his Department has completed the reassessments of eligibility decisions made on ineligible ARAP applications with credible links to (a) Commando Force 333 and (b) Afghan Territorial Force 444.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The reassessment of applications from those with credible links to former Afghan specialist units began on 26 March and will take approximately 12 weeks to complete, although some complex cases might extend beyond this as we ensure all evidence is considered. I can confirm that overturned decisions have already begun to be communicated to applicants.

Armed Forces: Dental Services

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel were waiting for dental treatment as of 1 May 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 1 December 2023, which is the latest available data, 17,221 UK Armed Forces personnel were categorised as NATO Category 2 and 12,283 were categorised as NATO Category 3, meaning that they require either preventative or interventive treatment to achieve optimal dental fitness. A further 21,699 UK Armed Forces personnel were categorised as NATO Category 4, meaning that they require a periodic dental examination, have an undetermined dental status, or have missing or incomplete dental records.

RM Bickleigh

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel were based at RM Bickleigh as of 30 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The most recently recorded official statistics for personnel based at Royal Marines (RM) Bickleigh is 1 January 2024. Therefore, I can confirm that as of 1 January 2024, there were 640 UK Service personnel based at RM Bickleigh.

RAF Gibraltar

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the use of RAF Gibraltar, in the context of negotiations with the EU on the Gibraltar-Spain border.

Leo Docherty: The Secretary of State for Defence has engaged with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on RAF Gibraltar and the EU Negotiations on several occasions. The Ministry of Defence continues to engage with other Government Departments throughout the negotiation process to ensure that the UK remains able to operate to, through and from Gibraltar without interruption or external interference.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include artillery.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 includes the AS90 self-propelled 155mm gun.The package also includes more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include (a) 152 and (b) 155 mm ammunition.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does not include 152mm or 155mm artillery ammunition.However, more than £245 million worth of artillery ammunition will be supplied to Ukraine this financial year.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include the Dragon Fire laser system.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 includes more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles. The DragonFire system is under development for first deployment in 2027 and as such is not included in this package.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include remote Minefield Breaching Systems.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does not include remote Minefield Breaching Systems.The package does include more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include (a) Python Minefield Breaching Systems and (b) Trojan Armoured Engineer Vehicles.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does not include Python Minefield Breaching Systems or Trojan armoured engineer vehicles.The package does include more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include FV107 Scimitar vehicles.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does include FV107 Scimitar vehicles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does not include Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The package does include more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, whether the package of equipment will include Challenger Main Battle Tanks.

Leo Docherty: The military aid package announced on 23 April 2024 does not include Challenger Main Battle Tanks. The package does include more than 400 armoured, protected, and all-terrain vehicles, more than 1,600 munitions in the form of both strike and air defence missiles, as well as additional Storm Shadow long-range precision-guided missiles.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, what the 400 vehicles are that will be sent to Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: We will provide over 400 vehicles to Ukraine, consisting of 160 protected mobility Husky vehicles; 162 armoured vehicles comprised of further AS90 155mm artillery guns and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked); and 78 all-terrain vehicles made up of Bv-206 and Viking. These will provide much needed additional artillery support, reconnaissance capabilities, and amphibious mobility to support development of the Ukrainian marine corps.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer on 25 April 2024 to Question 22900 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, whether the Ukrainian authorities have accepted liability for any UK seacraft in the last twelve months.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence have provided 24 offshore and inflatable raiding craft to Ukraine. In addition, we recently announced our largest-ever military aid package for Ukraine, which will include 60 more military-grade boats, including offshore raiding craft, rigid raiding craft and dive boats.On 30 September 2022, the Royal Navy transferred two Mine Countermeasures Vessels to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will conduct a freedom of navigation exercise around Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb for the purpose of establishing their non-Iranian status.

Leo Docherty: We are not conducting freedom of navigation operations around these islands. However, we keep operations in the Gulf under constant review. The UK supports the United Arab Emirates’ call to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands – Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa – through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter. The UK is dedicated to defending freedom of navigation in the Gulf, which is crucial for the global trading system and world economy, with the deployment of HMS DIAMOND to enhance our current footprint in the region. We are proud to be partnering with other members of the international community to uphold the rules based approach.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Mr Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the funding to Ukraine announced by the Prime Minister on 23 April 2024, what proportion of that funding will be spent on equipment to be donated to the Ukrainian Government and forces.

Leo Docherty: The £500 million additional funding for Ukraine, announced on 23 April 2024 will be used to rapidly deliver urgently-needed ammunition, air defence, drones and engineering support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The drones will be procured in the UK and the funds will support a scale-up in domestic defence supply chains.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a joint unit with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: His Majesty's Government has a joint unit on Euro-Atlantic Security Policy consisting of officials from FCDO and MOD. Additionally, both Departments regularly coordinate policy on Ukraine.

Treasury

No-interest Loans Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he expects the pilot No Interest Loan Scheme run by Fair4AllFinance to be launched in Northern Ireland before the end of the calendar year.

Bim Afolami: The government funded No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) is being run by Fair4AllFinance, in conjunction with their partners. The pilot is designed to test the impact that NILS could have on addressing the needs of vulnerable consumers across the UK. Fair4AllFinance have now rolled out the pilot in England, Scotland and Wales. Fair4AllFinance will continue to engage closely with stakeholders, including the Northern Ireland Executive, in an effort to deliver our shared ambition to launch a pilot site in Northern Ireland.

Financial Services: Information Sharing

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on open finance.

Bim Afolami: The financial services sector is currently at the forefront of Smart Data, through a combination of Open Banking and the HM Treasury-funded Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), which recently published recommendations for driving Open Finance forward in the UK. HM Treasury has worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade as it developed its Smart Data roadmap, which sets out the government’s ambition for future Smart Data scheme development across seven different sectors, including finance, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-smart-data-roadmap-action-the-government-is-taking-in-2024-to-2025. As set out in the roadmap, HM Treasury will carefully consider CFIT’s recommendations for Open Finance, alongside wider industry engagement, as it develops its strategy for Open Finance. In April 2024, HM Treasury also announced the launch of an industry-led taskforce, which will identify and prioritise Open Finance use cases and data-sets that could be unlocked to improve SME access to credit.

National Insurance Contributions: Internet

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of when the online system for (a) checking the completeness of National Insurance records and (b) paying top ups will be launched.

Nigel Huddleston: After a period of internal testing, we launched the service in private beta on 22nd April 24 to a small number of users. Over the period 22nd April 24 until the 29th April 24 we have gradually increased number of users in private beta. We made the service available to everyone in a public beta on 29th April 2024.

Home Office

Visas: Gaza

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5799 on Visas: Gaza, if he will make an updated assessment of the potential merits of establishing a family reunification visa scheme for people in Gaza.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of routes available to people in Gaza to join families in the UK.

Tom Pursglove: We keep all existing pathways in response to events under review. Our position remains that at present, there are no plans to create a new visa scheme for family members of British citizens and settled migrants affected by the security situation and the Home Office is not currently considering establishing a separate route for Palestinians to come to the UK.Since my response of 12 December for Gaza, we have extended eligibility for consular assistance. Under our extended eligibility policy, we are assisting UK visa holders to leave Gaza if they have an immediate family member currently living in the UK and hold valid permission to enter or remain in the UK for longer than six months. Immediate family members of British citizens, and those settled in the UK, who wish to come and live in the UK, and do not have a current UK visa, can apply under one of the existing Family visa routes.UKVI is working closely with the FCDO in supporting family members of British nationals to exit from Gaza who require a visa, signposting the necessary steps and expediting appointments at the Visa Application Centre.Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules and our suitability requirements. Consideration will be given to compelling, compassionate and exceptional circumstances raised and may be taken into account where certain requirements are not met.

Asylum: Republic of Ireland

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the operational agreement with the Irish government on the return of asylum seekers.

Tom Pursglove: In 2020, we agreed operational arrangements which allow for the return and readmission of asylum seekers where this is agreed by both participants. This is a non-legally binding arrangement relating to operational procedures, which we do not routinely publish.

Undocumented Migrants: France

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the UK-France Joint Leader's Declaration, published by the Prime Minister's Office on 10 March 2023, from which budget the UK's contribution to the joint funding arrangement for the operational plan on illegal migration will come; and whether details of those payments are published regularly in transparency data.

Michael Tomlinson: The funding to deliver the UK-France Joint Leader's Declaration is sourced from a combination of baseline Home Office allocations; and part of the additional funding the Home Office receives in relation to the 10 Point Plan on Illegal Migration.Details of this funding are not published as part of the department’s Migration Transparency Data.

Detention Centres

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 23168 on Asylum: Rwanda, what detention capacity the Home Office had on 24 April (a) 2023, (b) 2024, (c) 2021 and (d) 2020.

Michael Tomlinson: On 24 April 2020 the capacity of the immigration detention estate was c2300 immigration removal centre (IRC) beds (if all rooms and beds were in use). As a result of operational changes including the closure of Morton Hall IRC, detention capacity reduced to c1700 IRC beds on 24 April 2021, rising to c2158 IRC beds on 24 April 2023 and c2200 IRC beds on 24 April 2024, with more coming online in the coming months.Immigration detention capacity figures are not static and are subject to operational demands.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 23168 on Asylum: Rwanda, how many immigration removal centres make up the detention capacity of around 2200 people; and if he will list those centres.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detention spaces are reserved for individuals seeking asylum who are designated for deportation to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office currently operates seven immigration removal centres (IRCs) throughout the UK (six in England and one in Scotland); Harmondsworth and Colnbrook IRCs at Heathrow; Brook House and Tinsley House IRCs at Gatwick; Derwentside IRC in County Durham; Yarl’s Wood IRC in Bedfordshire and Dungavel House IRC in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.As of 24 April, the Home Office has the capacity to detain around 2,200 people in IRCs, including those liable for removal to Rwanda.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals seeking asylum have been detained pending deportation to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.Information about those detained who are liable to be removed to Rwanda is not available in our published data Published data on detentions and returns is available at the following link Migration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Home Office: Staff

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were employed by his Department as of 30 April 2024.

Chris Philp: This information is published monthly and can be accessed via the link below.Workforce management information, 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data for 30th April 2024 is currently being extracted and quality assured for publication in due course.

Bail

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will require the police to assess the safety of people on bail returning to their home address.

Chris Philp: Pre-charge bail is an important tool available to the police to manage suspects who have been arrested on suspicion of an offence.Under reforms of pre-charge bail passed in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, police must seek victims’ views, where practicable, regarding whether bail conditions should be imposed and what any conditions should be.The Government published new statutory guidance on pre-charge bail in June 2023, which can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-charge-bail-statutory-guidance/pre-charge-bail-statutory-guidance-accessibleThe guidance makes clear that if a suspect has been arrested in connection with an offence involving vulnerable people or domestic abuse, serious consideration must be given to the imposition of bail with conditions to safeguard the victim.

Drugs: Testing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will enable pharmacists to test illicit drugs.

Chris Philp: The Government facilitates drug testing services provided that the possession and supply of controlled drugs are licensed by the Home Office Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit or, exceptionally, relevant exemptions under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 may apply.Ministers are clear that drug testing services must not condone drug use and should only be delivered where licensed and operated responsibly, in line with Government policy to ensure that they discourage drug use and signpost potential users to treatment and support.

Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of overdose prevention units on drug users.

Chris Philp: No recent assessment has been made of the impact of drug consumption rooms, sometimes referred to as overdose prevention centres, on drug users.The Government does not support drug consumption rooms. We have been clear that we have concerns about the potential for these facilities to condone drug use and to encourage the continued illicit supply of drugs. They will not be introduced in England and Wales.While the Government remains open to considering any new evidence, the evidence available to date has informed the current policy position.

Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he measuring is the level of synthetic drugs being (a) manufactured in the UK and (b) trafficked into the UK.

Chris Philp: Tackling illicit drugs, including potent synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government and through our 10 year drugs strategy ‘From Harm to Hope’ we are taking action to tackle drug supply and reduce demand.UK agencies are highly alert to the threat from synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes, as well as synthetic cannabinoids and benzodiazepines. The Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and the National Police Chiefs Council are working with local partners to proactively monitor and respond to synthetic opioid related deaths, tracking drug related deaths and other intelligence to ensure a quick response.We assess that the scale of trafficking of synthetic opioids into the UK remains low. However, nitazenes, a type of synthetic opioid, have been linked to more than 100 deaths in the UK during the last year. The NCA assess that these substances are manufactured in illicit labs in China and have no evidence to suggest they are manufactured in the UK.Through the cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce we are taking action and are working to enhance our drug harms surveillance and early warning system to provide monitoring information on the presence and impact of synthetic opioids or other drug threats to inform our response. It will also include data on lab-tested police seizures as well as state-of-the-art monitoring for the presence of synthetic drugs by analysing wastewater.

Pornhub

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met with representatives of Pornhub since 2018.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to tackling illegal online content and routinely engage in forums at which a range of external partners will be present, including technology companies, social media firms and other websites, to ensure that they are keeping their platforms and services safe.Home Office officials have a long-standing provision of not disclosing the details of companies which have been engaged with on matters regarding Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, nor the specifics of discussions in the public domain.

Drugs: Testing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is investing in research into drug testing methodology to identify the presence of synthetic drugs.

Chris Philp: Tackling illicit drugs, including potent synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government and through our 10-year drugs strategy ‘From Harm to Hope’ we are taking action to tackle drug supply and reduce demand.Through the cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce, we are working to enhance our drug harms surveillance and early warning system to provide monitoring information on the presence and impact of synthetic opioids or other drug threats to inform our response. This will also include data on detections from drug-checking services as well as state-of-the-art monitoring for the presence of synthetic drugs by analysing wastewater.The Home Office continues to investigate the market for new technologies that can be used to identify the presence of synthetic drugs.Ministers are clear that drug testing services must not condone drug use and should only be delivered where licensed and operated responsibly, in line with Government policy to ensure that they discourage drug use and signpost potential users to treatment and support.

Asylum: Hotels

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of transporting asylum seekers in taxis between (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of taxis that have taken asylum seekers between (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation from (i) Glasgow to (ii) Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of taxis that have taken asylum seekers between (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation from (i) Aberdeen to (ii) Glasgow in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of transporting asylum seekers in taxis to (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels from (i) Glasgow to (ii) Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of transporting asylum seekers in taxis to (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels from (i) Aberdeen to (ii) Glasgow in each of the last 12 months.

Tom Pursglove: Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.Costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.The AASC Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of our polices:http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.

Asylum: Aberdeen

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of asylum seekers that have been transferred from (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in Aberdeen to similar accommodation in England in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of asylum seekers that have been transferred from (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in England to similar accommodation in Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of offers for dispersal accommodation for asylum seekers in Aberdeen have been made to asylum seekers staying in (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in Scotland in each of the last 12 months.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vacant places there are in asylum seeker (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels in Aberdeen.

Tom Pursglove: Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.Asylum accommodation is offered on a no choice basis. Asylum seekers receiving asylum support may be accommodated in any area of the UK where the Home Office has a supply of accommodation available and ready to use.Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.

British Nationality: Assessments

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Knowledge of English Language requirement for citizenship, whether retesting is required after citizenship has been granted.

Tom Pursglove: With reference to the Knowledge of English Language requirement for citizenship, retesting is not required after citizenship has been granted.

Drugs: Imports

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the UK Border Force are identifying synthetic drugs being imported into the UK; and what steps is he taking to ensure effective monitoring of this.

Tom Pursglove: Tackling illicit drugs, including potent synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government, and through our 10-year drugs strategy ‘From Harm to Hope’ the Home Office is taking action to tackle drug supply and reduce demand.Border Force uses intelligence from law enforcement and sources overseas to target action at the border and identify shipments for examination.The cross-Government Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partners such as the NCA, the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver an evidence-based response to the risk posed by synthetic opioids, monitor the effectiveness of the response, including at the border, and to implement effective action to stem the demand and supply of these dangerous substances.

Repatriation

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was for the conclusion of an application for a voluntary return through the Voluntary Returns Service in (a) Wales and (b) the UK, in the most recent period for which data is available.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) other impacts of delays in assessing voluntary return applications by the Voluntary Returns Service on applicants remaining in the UK.

Michael Tomlinson: Information on processing times for voluntary return applications is not held centrally and is not currently captured in a publishable form.Our priority is to consider applications as efficiently and fairly as possible. There may, however, be circumstances which delay the progression of a case, for example waiting for evidence that is of importance in deciding an application, or a need to obtain documentation to enable travel. In these circumstances, regular reviews are undertaken at appropriate intervals, dependant on the reason why the application cannot be progressed.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) women and (b) girls have arrived in the UK via small boats in each year since 2018.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the level of risk to women and girls arriving in the UK via small boats of trafficking for sexual exploitation in 2024.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release. Data on small boat arrivals by year, sex and age group is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of December 2023.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Future irregular migration publication release dates can be found on the research and statistics calendar.No assessment has been made of the risk to woman and girls arriving in the UK via small boats to trafficking for sexual exploitation. However, all individuals arriving on small boats will be assessed on arrival, including assessments to identify vulnerability and safeguarding needs. Where there are indicators of modern slavery, the individual will be referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The NRM aims to lift victims out of situations of exploitation, provide them with a short period of intensive support and specialist care, and put them in a position where they can begin to rebuild their lives with increased resilience against future exploitation. In the last two years alone almost 30,000 people have had access to the protections of the NRM.

Immigration: Translation Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued on the provision of culturally appropriate oral and written professional translation when communicating with (a) applicants for asylum, (b) people in immigration detention, (c) people appealing application decisions and (d) people identified for deportation to Rwanda.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what culturally appropriate oral and written professional translation services are provided by his Department when communicating with (a) applicants for asylum, (b) people in immigration detention, (c) people appealing application decisions and (d) people identified for deportation to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office aims to provide interpreter and translation services for refugees and asylum seekers at public expense whenever and wherever necessary. Interpreters are engaged by the Home Office to act on its behalf. They are not Home Office employees and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office. In some circumstances interpreting services are provided by commercial partners.Interpreters/translators engaged are required to operate to a high standard on a range of protection-based and human rights topics including (though not limited to) religious conversion, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexuality and gender-based claims, all types and forms of persecution, medical (physical and mental health) and political activity.The Home Office also works with other commercial providers and public sector bodies which provide interpreters and linguists to ensure the best sector-wide standards are applied.Guidance on the use of interpretation and translation services, Detention Services Order ‘Interpretation Services and use of Translation Devices’, was published in July 2022. This guidance sets out the provisions, including interpretation services and translation devices, available for individuals held in immigration detention and the circumstances in which these should be used.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what airline took an asylum seeker to Rwanda on 30 April 2024.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on sending an asylum seeker to Rwanda on 30 April 2024.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds the asylum seeker sent to Rwanda on 30 April 2024 had claimed asylum.

Michael Tomlinson: Individuals who have no right to remain in the UK legally are being offered voluntary relocation to Rwanda under a new agreement with the Government of Rwanda. This will relocate individuals who have no right to work, rent or remain in the UK to relocate to Rwanda and allow them to build safe and prosperous lives there.Individuals will receive £3,000 to support their relocation, paid to them on a card that can only be used in Rwanda.This builds on our already widely used voluntary returns scheme, which saw more than 19,000 people return to their country-of-origin last year. We can also now facilitate relocation to Rwanda, providing an alternative for those whose country of origin is unsafe or those who would prefer not to return, but have no right to remain in the UK.Under this Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Rwanda, individuals relocated voluntarily will have the same package of support for up to five years and access to integration programmes, so that they can study, undertake training, and work. Actual spend of the policy will be reported as part of the annual Home Office Reports and Accounts in the usual way.It would not be appropriate to provide individual details of voluntary relocations that the Home Office has helped facilitate.

Boats: Ukraine

Sir John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to donate confiscated (a) vessels and (b) motors held at the Border Force storage facility  in Dover to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Michael Tomlinson: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ HL3009 on 18 March 2024

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2024 to Question 23170 on Asylum: Rwanda, how many field visits within Rwanda by the Monitoring Committee of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership have been scheduled for 2024.

Michael Tomlinson: Full details of the Monitoring Committee’s Terms of Reference and Monitoring Plan can be found here: Monitoring Committee: Migration and Economic Development Partnership - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). As set out in the monitoring plan, monitoring, especially in the enhanced phase, will be agile and responsive to operational activity so there will be a rolling presence of the Monitoring Committee and Support Team at different locations, rather than a set schedule of visits.

Undocumented Migrants

Dame Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of illegal immigration on (a) society and (b) the economy.

Michael Tomlinson: Illegal immigration reduces our capability and capacity to help those who most need our support. It puts lives in danger by placing vulnerable people into the hands of smugglers. It also puts intolerable pressure on public services and local communities and corrodes public confidence in the system.An example of the impact of illegal migration is that the asylum system is now costing the British taxpayer over £4 billion a year.Our landmark Rwanda deal was a recognition of these facts, and we will continue to work to deliver it to break the business model of the smuggling gangs and deter those coming to the UK illegally.

Asylum: Wellingborough

Gen Kitchen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any asylum seekers in Wellingborough constituency have been (a) identified and (b) detained for deportation to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office does not routinely publish information on detention activity at a regional level.The first illegal migrants set to be removed to Rwanda have now been detained, following a series of nationwide operations this week. We will not be providing a running commentary on operational activity.

Women and Equalities

LGBT+ People

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the total cost to her Department was of (a) events, (b) activities, (c) merchandise and (d) all other associated costs relating to Pride Month 2023.

Stuart Andrew: No costs were incurred by the Equality Hub connected to any events, activities, merchandise or other associated costs in relation to Pride Month 2023.

Department for Business and Trade

Trade Agreements: New Zealand

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in New Zealand on the potential impact of the proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill on that country's obligations under the chapter of the UK-New Zealand free trade agreement on the environment.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with her New Zealand counterpart on the compatibility of the proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill with the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

Greg Hands: On March 13th, the UK and New Zealand highlighted the importance of our environment commitments at the first ever Environment and Climate Change Sub-Committee under the FTA. The Department for Business and Trade will continue discussions with New Zealand on implementing the Environment Chapter and will monitor the proposed Bill as it develops in New Zealand’s Parliament.

Export Credit Guarantees: Western Sahara

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade & Anor. [2022] EWHC 3108 (Admin), when UK Export Finance will provide credit for British businesses operating in Western Sahara.

Greg Hands: The UK government regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined and supports United Nations-led efforts to achieve a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. UK Export Finance does not currently provide support for exports to, or investment in, Western Sahara.

Export Controls

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2024 to Question 23805 on Oil: Imports, when he plans to publish the UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2023.

Alan Mak: We plan to publish this report before Parliament rises for Summer Recess.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Press

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2024 to Question 23369 on Government Departments: Press, how much and what proportion of total Government expenditure on communications activities was with independent (a) broadcast media and (b) web-based only news media, including those that are members of the Independent Community News Network, in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Alex Burghart: This figure is not held centrally. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the target audience effectively to have the most impact. Independent news networks can form a key part of this and are considered where appropriate. Government constantly and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its communications to ensure the right audiences are reached in the most efficient way.

Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Network North budget allocated to connect Manchester to Liverpool applies to the entire section of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Huw Merriman: Funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail has been set out in the Integrated Rail Plan and Network North. Network North confirmed £12 billion (2023 prices) of investment to enable Northern Powerhouse Rail to proceed in line with previous plans to better connect Liverpool and Manchester. On 25 March 2024, following extensive engagement with local leaders and local MPs, Government announced that it had heard clear support for Northern Powerhouse Rail to serve Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport. Taking account of local views, this will be the primary options for the next stage of development for the NPR route between Liverpool and Manchester.

Railways: North of England

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for debate on a motion to formalise the point of truncation of Nothern Powerhouse Rail and the former HS2 Phase 2b; and what plans he has to (a) publish a supplementary environmental statement and (b) consult on that issue.

Huw Merriman: I will table a motion that would allow the High-Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill to be adapted to deliver the Northern Powerhouse Rail between Manchester and the Parish of Millington and Rostherne shortly. The arrangements for a debate on the motion will be announced in the usual way. The changes to the scheme will prompt a new supplementary environmental statement, which will be published in due course. As with previous environmental statements there will be a public consultation. Responses received to consultation will be analysed by an Independent Assessor appointed by parliament.

Railways: North of England

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when strategic development of the Parish of Millington and Rostherne to Liverpool section of Northern Powerhouse Rail commenced; who is responsible for overseeing that work; what the estimated timeline for completing the work is; and what budget his Department has allocated for delivering that section.

Huw Merriman: The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and Network North set out the strategic plan and funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail. The high-level route will continue to be developed as set out in the IRP. This includes sections of the track between the Parish of Millington and Rostherne and Liverpool. The government is working closely with our delivery partners including Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to achieve this. The government aims to complete Northern Powerhouse Rail by the mid-2040s.

Railways: North of England

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when strategic development of the Manchester Piccadilly to West Yorkshire section of Northern Powerhouse Rail commenced; who is responsible for overseeing that work; what the estimated timeline for completing the work is; and what budget his Department has allocated for delivering that section.

Huw Merriman: The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and Network North set out the strategic plan and funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail. The high-level route will continue to be developed as set out in the IRP. This includes sections of the track between Manchester Piccadilly to West Yorkshire. The government is working closely with our delivery partners including Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to achieve this. The government aims to complete Northern Powerhouse Rail by the mid-2040s.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to help support train companies to (a) buy rather than lease trains and (b) purchase UK-made trains.

Huw Merriman: Rolling stock assets have an expected operational lifespan of between thirty to thirty-five years exceeding the duration of the operating contracts currently in place with train operators.These long-term investments made by the rolling stock owners passes risk from the Government to the private sector. It also means that such capital does not need to be spent by the Government on rolling stock but can be invested elsewhere in infrastructure such as schools, prisons and roads.Train manufacturing is a competitive, commercial market in which there can be no guarantee of orders to individual manufacturers. All contracts need to be assessed thoroughly to demonstrate a business need for the trains and comply with the law.

Cross Country Trains

Dame Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had recent discussions with Cross Country trains on plans to add additional stops at Worcestershire Parkway station on their Bristol to Manchester services.

Huw Merriman: CrossCountry has been working with the Department on the best way to deploy the 60 additional Voyager Intercity carriages that the Department has agreed they can lease. This includes the possibility of calls at Worcestershire Parkway in CrossCountry Intercity services. Subject to these discussions and industry planning processes, such calls could be introduced from May 2025.

Euston Station: Ticket Offices

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with Avanti West Coast on the closure of the ticket office at Euston railway station.

Huw Merriman: The Department is aware of the current temporary closure of the ticket office at Euston station arising from a bird infestation. Network Rail is responsible for managing Euston and is working on a remedy for staff and passengers. The Government has been clear to the industry that no ticket offices should close.

Aviation: Regulation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help (a) ensure that regulations on cost-sharing flights do not disproportionately affect the general aviation community, (b) support pilots in meeting potential new regulatory requirements and (c) minimise the (i) financial and (ii) operational costs of meeting those requirements.

Anthony Browne: The CAA supports the practice of cost sharing and recognises that it brings many benefits to pilots. However, following a review of cost sharing regulations, the CAA determined that the rules on cost sharing are open to misinterpretation and potential abuse in their current form. Proposals to reform cost sharing regulations in the UK include limiting the number of passengers that can be carried on a single flight, clarifying the costs which pilots can legitimately share and requiring pilots to complete and retain a Passenger Declaration Form. The latter will make their passengers aware of the increased risk associated with general aviation flying compared to commercial air transport flights. The CAA has also proposed changes to the advertising requirements for flights posted online to improve the transparency of cost sharing arrangements for the participating public. The CAA has consulted extensively with the general aviation community on its proposed changes to cost sharing regulations and has taken this feedback into account when drafting its final recommendations to the DfT. The CAA plans to develop a range of guidance to be made available on its website, which will explain what is required of them and provide vital support for pilots. This guidance will be published once changes to the regulation are finalised. Providers of cost sharing services will be given appropriate time to adjust their systems and procedures before the changes come into effect. The Department supports the CAA’s initiative to revise its cost sharing regulations, to help emphasise the safety measures to protect consumers and prevent potential abuse of the activity. The CAA will continue to provide updates on the progress of its changes to cost sharing regulation as part of the regular forums it holds with DfT and general aviation organisations.

Aviation: Regulation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Feedback on Proposed changes to the advertising element of the cost sharing regulations, published on 29 February 2024, what stakeholder consultations on the proposed changes to cost-sharing regulations were undertaken by the Civil Aviation Authority; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) all relevant stakeholders and (b) general aviation organisations are consulted before the proposed changes are finalised.

Anthony Browne: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) initially launched an open consultation on the proposed changes to the cost sharing regulation in November 2021. A response document was subsequently published in December 2022, which detailed the CAA’s policy recommendations to the Department for Transport (DfT). Following further engagement with general aviation organisations, the CAA opened a second consultation to gain stakeholder views on updated wording to the advertising element of the proposals in November 2023. A response was issued to this second consultation in February 2024, which detailed changes to the CAA’s recommendations based on the additional feedback received.The CAA is currently in the process of finalising its advice to DfT on regulatory changes following both consultations and are conducting a de minimis impact assessment, which will include further consultation with businesses that could potentially be impacted by the proposed changes. The CAA will continue to provide updates on the progress of its changes to cost sharing regulation as part of the regular forums it holds with DfT and general aviation organisations.

Road Traffic

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish revised national road traffic projections before the Summer recess.

Guy Opperman: The National Road Traffic Projections were last published in December 2022. The Department has no plans to publish updated projections before the Summer recess. The Department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update in due course.

Local Transport Fund

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's timescales are for making Local Transport Fund payments to local authorities.

Guy Opperman: The Local Transport Fund is a £4.7 billion fund beginning in 2025 for seven years. The money will start to be paid from early next year, giving councils time now to prepare. The Department will shortly publish advice for local authorities. We will ask local authorities to determine their local transport priorities and develop delivery plans so that they are ready to deliver improvements with Local Transport Fund funding from April 2025.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency database do not have a valid MOT in (a) England and (b) Easington constituency.

Guy Opperman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) database records every vehicle that has an MOT, and the dates the MOTs were carried out. Authorities, such as the Police, have access to that data should they need to check if a vehicle has a valid MOT. There is no comparable database for vehicles which do not have a valid MOT. As such, it is not possible to determine the number, or proportion, of vehicles being used illegally without an MOT in England or the constituency of Easington.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of vehicles on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database are not taxed in (a) England and (b) Easington constituency.

Guy Opperman: The outcome of the most recent roadside survey, which provides an estimate of the number of unlicensed vehicles in traffic, was published in December 2023. This showed that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were correctly licensed, which equates to an estimated 498,000 unlicensed vehicles and an evasion rate of 1.3 per cent. The estimated evasion rate in England was also 1.3 per cent. This information is not held by parliamentary constituency. A copy of the roadside survey can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023.

Ministry of Justice

Asylum: Rwanda

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the speech entitled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s statement on the plan to stop the boats, published by the Prime Minister’s office on 22 April 2024, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the judiciary have identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days to deal with challenges to the removal of asylum seekers from the UK under the provisions of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Lady Chief Justice and (b) Senior President of Tribunals on the deployment of judges to deal with cases specifically related to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.

Mike Freer: The Illegal Migration Act 2023 (IMA) provides for First-tier Tribunal judges to be deployed to sit in the Upper Tribunal to hear IMA appeals. As the Lord Chancellor set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 16 January 2024: “The judiciary have identified relevant judges, which could provide over 5,000 additional sitting days. The decision on whether to deploy additional judges temporarily to the Upper Tribunal, including when they sit and the courtrooms they use, is for the independent judiciary and will be taken by the relevant leadership judges at the time and in the interests of justice”.It is standard practice not to comment on discussions between Ministers and the judiciary. However, the Ministry of Justice is working closely with the judiciary in preparation for implementation of the Illegal Migration Act and I refer you to the Lord Chancellor’s Written Ministerial Statement of 16 January 2024, which addressed the topic (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-01-16/hcws188).

Children: Maintenance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken is for a child maintenance case to come before a tribunal.

Mike Freer: The information requested is not held centrally.

Criminal Proceedings

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the average time taken for (a) drug dealing, (b) domestic violence, (c) GBH, (d) domestic burglary and (e) theft cases to be completed in court in each year since 2010.

Mike Freer: We have interpreted waiting time to refer to the time between the date of first hearing at the magistrates’ court to completion of the case at the Crown Court. The median number of days from first listing to completion at the Crown Court for a) drug dealing, b) GBH, c) domestic burglary, d) theft cases offences has been provided in the attached table. To note, Crown Court data is only available from 2014 onwards and domestic violence offences cannot be separately identified as they are not defined as such in legislation. While the Crown Court is still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and disruptive action from the Bar which reduced our ability to hear cases swiftly, the latest published statistics show, across all cases currently in the outstanding caseload, the median age for those cases was around 6 months.We are committed to ensuring the delivery of swift justice for all victims and have introduced a raft of measures to achieve that aim. This includes funding around 107,000 sitting days during the most recent financial year (FY23/24), recruiting up to 1,000 judges annually across all jurisdictions and investing in the continued use of 20 Nightingale courtrooms into this financial year (FY24/25) to allow the courts to work at full capacity. Judges do prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, and seek to ensure that domestic abuse, serious sexual offences and those with vulnerable witnesses are listed at the first available opportunity.Table (xlsx, 16.8KB)

Young Offender Institutions

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in March 2024.

Edward Argar: The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during March 2024 is shown in the table below. Cookham WoodFelthamParcWerringtonWetherbyWeekdays3:394:548:484:295:36Weekends2:394:206:223:063:50We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision with a consistent daily programme of activities.The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time out of room, creating as open a regime as it is safe to do so, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting.  Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time out of room.

Undocumented Migrants: Employment

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of illegal working since the introduction of that offence.

Gareth Bacon: The Ministry of Justice holds data on convictions for illegal working covering the period requested and this can be viewed in the Outcomes by Offence tool: June 2023.The offence ‘illegal working’ can be found using the following HO code; 19464.This can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab and using the HO Offence Code filter to select the above offence in the Outcomes by Offence data tool.

Prison Officers: Vacancies

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department have made a risk assessment of prison officer vacancies in the Long Term High Security Estate.

Edward Argar: We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate via a number of internal governance forums, which assess the vacancy levels for individual prisons and across regions and functions, including the Long Term High Security Estate (LTHSE). Vacancies are one of a number of contributory factors that determine HMPPS' assessment of risk and stability within prisons. We will always ensure that prisons are sufficiently staffed to deliver safe and secure regimes. Where establishments feel that their staffing levels will affect stability or regime, including because of vacancies, there are a number of ways they can maximise the use of their own resource and seek support from other establishments in the short term, through processes managed nationally at Agency level. These include overtime payments and support via Detached Duty staff from other prisons. We are continuing recruitment activity at all sites with a current or future need, including in the LTHSE. Nationally, we have seen a substantial improvement in the national staffing picture within prisons over the past year. The number of Band 3-5 prison officers increased by 1,634 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) between December 2022 and December 2023, and resignation rates have fallen over the same period. This is the result of significant efforts across the agency, including substantial increases in pay for staff, our first-ever nationwide advertising campaign, incentivized recruitment schemes where we incentivised applicants to relocate to ‘harder-to-staff’ sites, and the Prison Officer Alumni Network, where we have fast-tracked former staff back into the service.

Prisons: Synthetic Cannabinoids

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) the detection of and (b) testing methods for synthetic cannabinoids in the prison estate; and what steps he is taking to improve effectiveness in these areas.

Edward Argar: All prisons have a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, and we are highly aware of the threat synthetic drugs present. In response, HMPPS has developed capabilities to drug test prisoners who are suspected to have used, or are at risk of using, these dangerous substances. In addition, all prisons have been provided with access to forensic testing of items seized or found within the estate. Our drug testing contract enables us to deliver key commitments in the cross-Government drug strategy such as: testing of offenders who receive a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, the pilot of Intensive Supervision Courts, and increased flexibility to test for a broader range of drugs. Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners, resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. Under this programme, all public sector sites have also been provided with next-generation drug trace detection machines. This technology enables prisons to detect attempts to convey drugs, including synthetic cannabinoids, into prisons. The equipment is effective in identifying synthetic cannabinoids that have been soaked onto letters, clothing and other items.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Broadband: Wigan

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to encourage broadband provider competition in Wigan.

Julia Lopez: Having a competitive fixed telecoms market has been integral to the government’s strategy to deliver nationwide coverage of gigabit-capable broadband. Competition keeps prices low and standards high for consumers, whilst encouraging companies to build quickly. In the 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure review and our 2019 Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom, we brought forward proposals to make it easier for new firms to enter the market, such as granting competitors access to Openreach’s national duct and poles network. Ofcom is responsible for regulating competition in the broadband market. In 2021, Ofcom published its Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR), which set out its decisions for regulation of the fixed telecoms market until 2026. The WFTMR makes explicit mention of the Government’s desire to support market entry and expansion by alternative network operators and is fulfilling this by, for example, providing competitors with effective access to Openreach’s ducts and poles. Thanks to these measures to incentivise competition, there are now over 80 companies investing over £40bn to connect premises all over the UK. Gigabit coverage in Wigan constituency is currently at 92% (Think Broadband), which is up from just 1% in December 2019.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Fuels: Motor Vehicles

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to respond to the consultation entitled Empowering drivers and boosting competition in the road fuel retail market, published on 16 January 2024.

Amanda Solloway: The consultation ‘Empowering drivers and boosting competition in the road fuel retail market’ closed on 12 March 2024. We are currently analysing and considering the consultation responses received and will publish the government response shortly.

Wind Power

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that the concerns of objectors are considered during the development of new onshore wind projects.

Andrew Bowie: The Government recognises there are a range of views on onshore wind, which is why we have ensured community views must be considered. In September 2023, the Government made changes to planning rules in England to ensure that the planning impacts identified by the affected local community are appropriately addressed and the proposal has community support.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Brexit

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on (a) venues hosting international artists and (b) other businesses and organisations in the cultural sector.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps with (a) local authorities and (b) industry stakeholders to help increase the sustainability of (i) live music venues and (ii) other aspects of the night-time economy.

Julia Lopez: His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting touring artists, and the music industry more widely, to adapt to new arrangements following our departure from the EU, and we have worked with the sector and directly with Member States to provide clarity and support.The UK’s rules for touring creative professionals are more generous than those in many EU Member States.The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from non-visa national countries, such as EU Member States and the US, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits. We have also decoupled the provisions for creative and sporting professionals in the Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) route, to recognise the unique requirements each group has.We are committed to supporting the UK’s live music venues and grassroots sector, the research and development centres of our world-leading music sector. That is why we have provided an additional £5m to the highly successful Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, taking our total investment through the fund to almost £15m. This will enable venues to increase support for young and emerging artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.Music venues, other aspects of the night-time economy and some cultural venues are also currently eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief, with a 75% relief up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business. This relief was extended for a further year during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.Ministers continue to engage with the sector to discuss the challenges facing grassroots music venues and explore potential opportunities to provide further support. DCMS actively supports sector-led initiatives such as increased support for grassroots music venues from larger events and venues.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2024 to Question 21527 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the preparation of an instrument under the terms of section 3 of the Public Records Act 1958 to retain the (a) ES and (b) AB series of files that were withdrawn from the National Archives in 2018 for up to 10 years.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State has had no such discussions with her Cabinet colleagues. The majority of AB and ES files which were withdrawn in 2018 have been released back to The National Archives following review.Any decision by the Ministry of Defence to retain records will be taken once the review has been completed and will require the approval of the Secretary of State following advice from the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.